Benched Players

Fighting with family

The impact of con ict within a football team

Avery Roe roeave000@hsestudents.org

As football players take the eld, they are immediately connected by both environment and energy. e blinding lights illuminate the stands lled with cheering fans. e game draws in people from varied backgrounds and gives them a united goal, to win. Every play is driven by communication and split-second decisions. Each player holds the team to a standard of trust and doing their part of the job. Trust does not stop at the players, it includes the relationship with the coaches as well. e National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) emphasizes that the morals and energy a coach expresses toward players shape the ideals of the group. ey explain that coaches obsessed with winning will generate teams with the same desire and less of a personal relationship. While this mindset may drive the team to play harder, it can also cause more frustration if they do not win. Losing a game could result in con ict between players or decreased con dence in individuals due to the pressure they feel to win. In addition, it could result in players developing a feeling of failure or letting down the team. Players also have to be aware of and think about the impact their own attitude has on the connectivity of the team. e mindset of a team is the rst thing that unites them together. Adam Morris with Believe Perform, a company working to strengthen academic and athletic performance through education on the mental aspects, states that if each player is driven by individual goals, they are less likely to succeed than if they are focused on the goals of the whole team. is form of self e cacy can be the root of con ict within the group. As the football season ends, the focus of senior players starts to shi to colleges. Not only does this change players’ mindsets, but parents also begin thinking about their child’s future in the sport. With split goals, the group’s coherency is impacted. Not only is this changing how individual players are thinking through their jobs but it also changes how players may view each other. If one player sees that their teammate is focused more on individual success than the team as a whole that could result in con ict or a decreased level of trust. As found in a study by Kinesiology professors, Albert Carron and Lawrence Brawley, without strong coherency there is less communication and overall success. is could lead to di cult practices or even trouble working together on the eld at games. It can also cause disruptions in plays that may impact the outcome of games. e existence of coherency does not strip players of having their own goals. A good team relationship does not ask players to sacri ce their success for the team’s. Despite the importance of having a set group goal, it is not an option to stop working towards your own success. e challenge is nding a way to balance your personal goals with the team’s goals. One of the ways to do this is by sharing your goals with the team. When each individual player has goals they are reaching for, that are not in line with the team’s, it can help for everyone to know those individual goals and then help each other reach them. Past mindset and attitude, working on cohesion or communication is not a task that is done individually. Collective e cacy is derived from an e ort by the program as a whole. Team bonding activities and getting time together outside of practices is really important in creating a strong group relationship. However, you have to be willing to make the changes or else these solutions will not actually have an impact.

Football players move down the sideline at the end of a play during the rst game of the season on Aug. 26. Photo by Avery Roe.