LOCKER ROOM CULTURE

A LOOK INSIDE THE OFFICE OF A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE

Derrick Vergolini

ARTICLE OVERVIEW• ARTICLE: “LOCKER ROOM CULTURE A STRANGE

PLACE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OF DENVER’S PRO SPORTS TEAMS,” BY BENJAMIN HOCHMAN (THE DENVER POST)

• THERE’S A SENSE OF HIERARCHY AMONGST THE PLAYERS, DETERMINED BY SENIORITY. VETERANS SEEN AS THE ‘ALPHA-DOGS’, WHERE ROOKIES ARE SEEN AS THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO EARN THEIR RESPECT.

• THERE IS A SET OF STANDARDS, CUSTOMS, NORMS, RITUALS, OR A COMBINATION OF ALL THESE THAT EVERYONE IN THE SETTING IS EXPECTED TO FOLLOW.

ARTICLE OVERVIEW (CONTINUED)• DAILY INTERACTION OCCURS AMONGST THE

PLAYERS, COACHING STAFF, AND EVEN THE EQUIPMENT STAFF.

• PLAYERS ‘PUSH BUTTONS’ WITH ONE ANOTHER OFTEN, WHICH CAN LEAD TO FEUDING BETWEEN PLAYERS. WHILE IT’S CERTAINLY NOT A DAILY THING, PLAYERS MAKE SURE THAT THEY AREN’T TAKING IT TOO FAR WHEN MESSING AROUND WITH EACH OTHER.

• OVERALL ATTITUDES IN AND ABOUT THE LOCKER ROOM DEPEND ON SPORT.

DEAL AND KENNEDY’S “STRONG CULTURES”• THE CULTURE IN A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LOCKER ROOM IS

CERTAINLY APPLICABLE TO THE CULTURAL METAPHOR OF DEAL AND KENNEDY’S “STRONG CULTURES.”

• A “STRONG CULTURE” CREATES A BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS AT A PERSONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL. MEANING, IF THE OVERALL MINDSET AND VISION OF THE GROUP IS IN A POSITIVE LIGHT, THAT CREATES A BETTER CHANCE AT SUCCESS.

• PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES PLAY THEIR SPORT FOR A LIVING – IT’S THEIR JOB. MOST OF THEM BELONG TO A TEAM, LEAGUE, ASSOCIATION, OR ORGANIZATION. THE LOCKER ROOM IS THEIR WORK BUILDING OR OFFICE SPACE, AND ANOTHER SETTING FOR A CULTURE TO BE ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED.

DEAL AND KENNEDY’S 4 KEY COMPONENTS OF A “STRONG CULTURE”1. VALUES. THESE ARE THE BELIEFS AND VISIONS THAT

MEMBERS OF AN ORGANIZATION HOLD.2. HEROES. THE INDIVIDUALS WHO COME TO EXEMPLIFY AN

ORGANIZATION’S VALUES. THEY BECOME KNOWN THROUGH THE STORIES AND MYTHS OF AN ORGANIZATION

3. RITES AND RITUALS. THE CEREMONIES THROUGH WHICH AN ORGANIZATION CELEBRATES ITS VALUES.

4. COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. CULTURAL VALUES ARE INSTITUTED AND REINFORCED THROUGH A CULTURAL NETWORK.

VALUES IN THE LOCKER ROOM• HAVING FUN WITH/MAKING FUN WITH ONE ANOTHER. IT’S IMPORTANT TO BUILD A BOND AND A RELATIONSHIP AMONGST THE TEAM, AND MAKING FUN IS A GOOD ICE BREAKER.

• KNOW YOUR ROLE AND DON’T OVERSTEP YOUR BOUNDARIES. IT CREATES A BAD VIBE WHEN A ROOKIE WALKS INTO THE LOCKER ROOM THE FIRST DAY AND THINKS TOO HIGHLY OF HIMSELF OR HERSELF. ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, IF A VETERAN LEADER IS TOO SOFT OR NOT EFFECTIVE, THAT HURTS THE TEAM AND IT MAY BE TIME TO LOOK FOR A NEW LEADER.

• RESPECT THE RULES. KNOW THE NORMS AND WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE DONE IN THE LOCKER ROOM. WHILE THIS IS AREA IS GENERALLY SIMILAR IN ALL OF SPORTS, IT HAS SLIGHT VARIATIONS FROM TEAM TO SPORTS LEAGUE.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS – 1738• ONE WAY THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS OF THE MLB CREATED A BOND IN THE LOCKER ROOM WAS THROUGH A MUTUAL AGREEMENT ALL OF THE PLAYERS MADE WITH EACH OTHER.

• THEY AGREED THAT EACH PLAYER HAD TO SAY THE PHRASE “1738”, A PHRASE KNOWINGLY SAID BY A FAVORITE RAPPER IN THE LOCKER ROOM, FETTY WAP. THE PLAYERS HAD TO USE THE PHRASE IN SOME FORM WHEN BEING INTERVIEWED BY THE PRESS. IF THEY DIDN’T THEY HAD TO PAY THE TEAM A FINE.

• WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW SOME OF THE PLAYERS GOT CREATIVE WITH IT…

GOING AGAINST VALUES• PLAYERS CERTAINLY ACT IN A WAY THAT GOES AGAINST LOCKER

ROOM VALUES AND CREATES CHAOS IN THE LOCKER ROOM.• RICHIE INGOGNITO. TWO YEARS AGO, WORD GOT OUT THAT

FORMER PLAYER OF THE NFL’S MIAMI DOLPHINS, RICHIE INCOGNITO WAS HARASSING A THEN-TEAMMATE OF HIS IN THE LOCKER ROOM. IT GOT TO A POINT WHERE THE HARASSMENT TOOK PLACE OVER THE PHONE. THE PLAYER BEING HARASSED ACTUALLY QUIT THE TEAM, AND INCOGNITO WAS SUSPENDED AND NOT WELCOMED BACK TO THE TEAM AFTER HIS CONTRACT EXPIRED.

• IK ENEMKPALI. IN 2015 NFL TRAINING CAMP, NEW YORK JETS QUARTERBACK, GENO SMITH WAS PUNCHED IN THE FACE BY THEN-TEAMMATE, IK ENEMKPALI. SMITH BROKE HIS JAW AND MISSED THE FIRST SEVERAL WEEKS OF THE 2015 SEASON. ENEMKPALI WAS CUT FROM THE TEAM JUST A FEW DAYS LATER.

HEROES IN THE LOCKER ROOM• THE ARTICLE GOES ON TO SAY THAT VETERAN ATHLETES ARE

SEEN AS THE LEADERS IN THE LOCKER ROOM. THEY ACT AS POLICE, IN A WAY, AND MAKE SURE THAT VALUES AND CUSTOMS ARE BEING FOLLOWED.

• WHEN TEAMS HAVE DESIGNATED CAPTAINS, LIKE WE SEE IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE OR NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, IT FALLS UNDER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE ALL IS SOUND WITH THE TEAM IN THE LOCKER ROOM.

• HEROES IN THE LOCKER ROOM CAN ALSO TRANSLATE FROM LEADERS IN THE PLAYING FIELD. SUPERSTARS CAN BE VIEWED AS TEAM LEADERS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE TEAM LOOKS UP TO THAT ATHLETE WHEN IT COMES TO HOW TO ACT AND BEHAVE BOTH ON THE FIELD AND OFF THE FIELD (IN THE LOCKER ROOM).

NEW YORK YANKEES LEADERS• MICHIGAN-NATIVE AND WELL KNOWN BASEBALL SUPERSTAR

DEREK JETER RETIRED FROM BASEBALL AT THE END OF THE 2014 SEASON. FOR DECADES, HE WAS THE LEADER AND CAPTAIN OF THE YANKEES, BOTH ON THE FIELD AND IN THE LOCKER ROOM. NOW WITH HIM GONE, THE TEAM HAS TO FIND SOMEONE TO STEP UP AND FILL HIS BIG SHOES.

• CURRENT YANKEE PLAYER BRETT GARDNER TOOK A STEP IN THIS DIRECTION BY MOVING HIS LOCKER TO WHERE JETER’S USED TO BE. HE’S ABOUT SIX YEARS INTO HIS MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER, SO HE’S BEGINNING TO BE A PLAYER THAT ATHLETES LOOK UP TO.

• WHILE IT’S UNKNOWN WHETHER OR NOT HE CAN FILL THE ROLE, AND ONLY TIME WILL TELL, HE’S SHOWING AN INTEREST IN IT. HE NEEDS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT HE HOLDS HIMSELF TO THE TEAM VALUES AND EXPRESSES A POSITIVE EXAMPLE TO THE TEAM, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE YOUNGER PLAYERS.

NHL CAPTAINS• PLAYERS DESIGNATED AS CAPTAINS ARE TRADITIONALLY DONE SO FOR THEIR

LEADERSHIP SKILLS, NOT NECESSARILY THEIR TALENT. WHILE NHL TEAM CAPTAINS GENERALLY ARE ONE OF THE TOP-5 PERFORMERS ON THE TEAM, THAT’S NOT WHY THEY WERE GIVEN THE HONOR TO WEAR THE ‘C’.

• IN HIS ARTICLE, HOCHMAN SAYS THAT THERE IS NO TOLERANCE FOR BULLYING BEHAVIOR IN AN NHL LOCKER ROOM. WHICH MAKES A CAPTAINS ROLE IN THE LOCKER ROOM ALL THE MORE VITAL.

• HERE IS A LIST OF CURRENT OR FORMER CAPTAINS THAT HAVE EXEMPLIFIED THIS IN THE NHL:• STEVE YZERMAN – DETROIT RED WINGS• SAKU KOIVU – MONTREAL CANDIENS• MATS SUNDIN – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS• MARK MESSIER – NEW YORK RANGERS• MIKE MODANO – DALLAS STARS• JOE SAKIC – COLORADO AVALANCHE• JONATHON TOEWS – CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

RITES AND RITUALS IN THE LOCKER ROOM• THERE ARE NUMEROUS WAYS THAT A TEAM CAN HELP BOND AND

KEEP A POSITIVE VIBE IN THE LOCKER ROOM THROUGH RITES AND RITUALS.

• IN BASEBALL OR FOOTBALL, THE COACH CAN AWARD THE PLAYER OF THE GAME IN HIS OR HER EYES THE ‘GAME BALL’. THIS IS ALSO DONE IN HOCKEY WITH A GAME PUCK. IT’S A COMMON PRACTICE FROM THE BIG LEAGUES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO YOUTH SPORTS.

• TEAMS ALSO PRACTICE RIGHTS AND RITUALS BY KEEPING ALIVE OLD TRADITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. FOR EXAMPLE…• PATTING YOUR HAND ON A SIGN THAT MEANS SOMETHING TO

THE TEAM AS YOU LEAVE THE LOCKER ROOM

MARYLAND BASEBALL – THE ARCH• A RITUAL THAT THE BASEBALL PROGRAM AT

MARYLAND DOES IS AWARD THE PLAYER OF THE GAME A CROSSBOW.

• THIS REWARDS THE PLAYER FOR HIS IMPACT ON HELPING THE TEAM, WHETHER IT WAS THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE GAME OR AT A KEY MOMENTS.

• MANY TEAMS IN ALL OF SPORTS DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY USE A CROSSBOW. IT PROVIDES AN INCENTIVE FOR THE PLAYERS TO PUT THE TEAM FIRST AND CONSEQUENTLY, YOU CAN BE REWARDED.

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL – THE SIGN

• AT THE END OF THE HALL BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE LOCKER ROOM TO GO TO THE FIELD, THE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL LOCKER ROOM HAS A SIGN THAT SAYS “PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY.”

• THIS SIGN AS BEEN USED AND STAYED IN THAT SAME SPOT FOR DECADES. EVERY TIME BEFORE THE TEAM TAKES THE FIELD, THE PLAYERS, COACHES AND STAFF LAY THEIR HAND ON IT AS IT’S THE LAST THING THEY SEE BEFORE THEY TAKE THE FIELD.

• SIMILARLY, THE EASTERN MICHIGAN FOOTBALL TEAM DOES THIS WITH THEIR SIGN ABOVE THE DOORS THAT SAYS “THE FACTORY.” IT REMINDS THEM OF THEIR KEY TEAM VALUES RIGHT BEFORE THEY TAKE THE FIELD, WHETHER IT’S BEFORE PRACTICE OR ON GAME DAY.

COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS• VALUES AND RITES AND RITUALS ARE ALWAYS

COMMUNICATED TO THE TEAM IN THE LOCKER ROOM. IT CAN BE DONE THROUGH SEVERAL WAYS.• THROUGH SIGNAGE WITH INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

AND TEAM MOTTOS• PREGAME, HALFTIME AND POSTGAME SPEECHES

FROM THE HEAD COACH OR OTHER COACHES• SPEECHES FROM THE TEAM CAPTAINS

• COMMUNICATION HELPS KEEP THE TEAM IN THE RIGHT MINDSET, FOLLOWING THE CULTURAL VALUES THAT IN TURN ARE CREATED TO HELP BE THE TEAM AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE.

LOCKER ROOM CULTURE• THIS IS A POST-GAME SPEECH FROM BALTIMORE RAVENS HEAD COACH

JOHN HARBAUGH AND THEN-WIDE RECEIVER TORREY SMITH. RITES AND RITUALS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS ARE SHOWN THROUGH THIS SPEECH.

PRESS AND MEDIA IN THE LOCKER ROOM• AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL, WE SEE INTERVIEWS TAKE PLACE IN THE

LOCKER ROOM ALL OF THE TIME.• WHILE THERE ARE TYPICALLY DESIGNATED TIME FRAMES WHERE THE MEDIA

IS PERMITTED TO BE IN THE LOCKER ROOM, THE PLAYERS AND COACHING STAFF MUST MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE HOLDING THEMSELVES AT A PROFESSIONAL STANDARD, BECAUSE THE MEDIA WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANYTHING THEY CAN NOWADAYS.

• FOR THIS REASON, THAT’S WHY IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO HAVE GOOD VALUES AND A STEADY LOCKER ROOM POLICY, AND WHILE THAT MAY BE VIOLATED SOMETIMES, IT’S IMPORTANT TO STAY ON YOU’RE A-GAME IF YOU’RE A PART OF A PROFESSIONAL LOCKER ROOM AND THE MEDIA IS ROAMING ABOUT.

• ULTIMATELY, IN A PLACE WHERE ATHLETES MAY BELIEVE THEY’RE SAFE FROM PUBLICITY WHEN BEING IN THE LOCKER ROOM, THAT ISN’T ALWAYS THE CASE.

REVIEW• THE LOCKER ROOM IS A HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR PROFESSIONAL

ATHLETES. IT’S THEIR OFFICE. THEY GO TO BATTLE WITH THE TEAMMATES THEY SHARE THIS SPACE WITH.

• VALUES ARE KEY. THEY HELP THE TEAM BOND AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BY MESSING AROUND WITH ONE ANOTHER AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER.• -"GIRLS GET TOGETHER AND SAY, 'OH, YOUR HAIR LOOKS SO GOOD,' " SAID

NUGGETS ASSISTANT COACH MELVIN HUNT. "GUYS, WE SAY, 'YOU GOT ANY HATS? YOU'RE NOT GOING OUT LIKE THAT, ARE YOU?' ... WITH THE LEAGUE GETTING YOUNGER, A LOT OF TIMES THIS IS A COLLEGE LOCKER ROOM. WHAT DID YOU DO IN COLLEGE? YOU CLOWNED EACH OTHER. THERE'S A VALUE IN IT, THERE'S A CAMARADERIE. (HOCHMAN, THE DENVER POST)

• VALUES AND RULES ARE VIOLATED ALL THE TIME, AND IN CERTAIN CASES IF THE SITUATION IS SEVERE ENOUGH, THOSE THAT GO AGAINST THE LOCKER ROOM CULTURE MAY HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE THROUGH SUSPENSION OR BY BEING KICKED OFF THE TEAM.

REVIEW (CONTINUED)• VETERANS AND TEAM CAPTAINS ARE SEEN AS THE HEROES IN THE

LOCKER ROOM. IT’S THEIR JOB TO POLICE AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS ABIDING BY THE VALUES AND TEAM POLICY. COACHES ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS TOO IF A SITUATION GETS BAD ENOUGH, BUT IT FALLS MORE ON THE CAPTAINS AS ONE OF THEIR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES.

• RITES AND RITUALS ARE EVERYWHERE IN THE LOCKER ROOM CULTURE. TEAMS USE SYMBOLIC PLAYER AWARDS TO DETERMINE A PLAYER OF THE GAME, LIKE MARYLAND BASEBALL DOES WITH THE CROSSBOW.

• THERE ARE NUMEROUS OUTLETS IN THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FROM COACHES AND CAPTAIN SPEECHES TO SIGNAGE. IT REMINDS THE TEAM OF THE CULTURAL VALUES TO HOLD WHILE BEING A MEMBER OF THAT TEAM.

WORKS CITED

• HOCHMAN, B. (2013, NOVEMBER 17). LOCKER ROOM CULTURE A STRANGE PLACE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS OF DENVER'S PRO SPORTS TEAMS. RETRIEVED NOVEMBER 3, 2015.

• STEELE, D. (2014, JANUARY 8). A TEST OF MANHOOD: THE GOOD, BAD AND DANGEROUS NFL LOCKER ROOM CULTURE. RETRIEVED NOVEMBER 3, 2015.

• DAVIDOFF, K. (2015, MARCH 20). BRETT GARDNER THE NEW DEREK JETER? IN THE LOCKER ROOM, MAYBE. RETRIEVED NOVEMBER 4, 2015.