Risk management usually means doing something proactively, something that reduces the likelihood of something negative happening to an organization, or conversely, increasing the likelihood of something positive. This the basic modern tradeoff for sports teams and athletes–manage risk to avoid injury or to win games.
Golden State consults sleep researchers and rests Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson against Denver and, probably as a direct result, lose the game. But it is never really so simple. Oklahoma City gets a second opinion on Kevin Durant’s foot, prompting a second foot surgery and more missed games for the team’s star player. The Atlanta Hawks coaches meet daily to craft individual development plans for players, relying on a consensus of perspectives to avoid overworking players. One team that neglects risk management, the Bulls overwork players, notably Joakim Noah this season.
It is often overlooked that athletes’ and teams’ improvements are a benefit of maximizing the health of the athletes. Teams are beginning to realize that health and talent development are critical to wins over the course of a season, equal in importance to the game-to-game strategies that teams employ.
NFL football players have been retiring even though they could have been paid millions of dollars to play still more games and it points out a risk management problem with football. The current norms in football prioritize wins over health. Some players are now choosing their own health instead of their teams wins, regardless of what they might get paid.
NBA trends are favoring teams that skillfully practice risk management but that is not the case in the NFL.
The Best Things I Read Last Week:
- Flames credit comeback success to fitness level NHL.com … Calgary has seen player fitness become a competitive advantage under first-year strength coach, Ryan van Asten.
- ‘I was blown away’: Welcome to football’s quarterback revolution FOX Sports … At the recent NFL Combine Stanford football coaches demo-ed virtual reality game preparation tools they had developed (with successful results).
- The effects of congested fixtures period on tactical and physical performance in elite football Journal of Sports Sciences … Soccer teams don’t necessarily pay a price in terms of the distance players cover during games in congested schedule periods, but they are likely to get less of the synchronized, coordinated movements that you expect at the highest levels of professional soccer.
- Understanding Science For Coaches & Trainers HMMR Media … Nearly all coaches have not trained as scientists but enough of what they know and do should set them up to understand, and make good use of science in sports, though it will be challenging.
- Endurance Sports Will Make You a Better, Calmer Person Outside Online … “Turns out the more you push your physical limits, the more you improve your psychological ones,” writes author Bradley Stulberg.