Do Australia’s Team ‘Cultures’ Reflect The Nation?

Whenever we hear sports coaches, players or even administrators interviewed in the modern era the word “culture” is a strong chance to be mentioned.

There are ‘good cultures,’ ‘bad Cultures,’ ‘winning Cultures’ and ‘losing cultures.’

The crucial thing is every team has to have a ‘culture’ it is almost as if that ‘culture’ gives it credibility on the sporting landscape.

As a noun the word culture relates to “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.” As a verb it means to “maintain (tissue cells, bacteria, etc.) in conditions suitable for growth.” Some cynics would question whether it is being used as a noun or a verb in some sporting instants when we look at the the products of some ‘cultures.’

It is interesting to look at the early origins of the word. In the middle ages it was used predominantly in agricultural terms, and meant “a place to be tilled.” In other words a place to plough or turn the soil. Yet prior to that in Ancient Rome Cicero used the agricultural metaphor to refer to man cultivating his soul through the arts to become a higher being.

Yet like so many words it has evolved over time and the Cambridge English Dictionary now explains Culture as “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time.” This clearly encompasses both negative and positive ‘cultures.’

Over the past week we have heard the word used to describe the recent events within the Australian Cricket team. Former coach Mickey Arthur has said that during his short tenure as coach he tried to instigate change, but the players and powers that be pushed against it. He has stated that the recent scandal “is the inevitable result of the culture that’s been ingrained at the top of the sport in the country.”

Yet if you talk to those around Australian Cricket they will tell you that the only ‘culture’ they had was a “winning culture.” The sad thing was that this “winning culture” had evolved into a “winning at all costs culture.” The team had become despised, reviled and unlike the team of the Steve Waugh era had lost respect.

The reasons appear simple. As the team evolved they lost sight of the important attributes that make teams great. Respect, is one of those key attributes. Respect for the game itself, its history and those who went before, and the legacy that they left. As the All Blacks have instilled in their players there is a duty to leave the team in a better place when you leave than you found it in when you became a part of it. Respect also for those who support the team in whatever way that may be, from those who clean the changing rooms to those who coach the team or stay back writing the match reports. Being aware that it takes an army of support staff in the background to elevate a team to be one of the top sides in the world. Then there is the respect for your fans. Taking the time to pose for a selfie with a young player at your place of work, and sign autographs.

With respect comes humility. It is hard to be a good loser, to overcome the pain of defeat and congratulate your victor, but it is often harder to be a good winner. It is often very difficult in that moment of elation to remember that it takes two teams to make a contest, and that the other team may have lost, but still deserve to be respected and acknowledged.

Go back the Ashes Test Series in 2013. Australia took an unassailable lead in the series and won back the Ashes when the won the third test at the WACA in Perth. Jimmy Anderson was the last English wicket to fall, when he was caught by George Bailey off Mitchell Johnson. The not out batsman was Stuart Broad. The two England fast bowlers stood at the wicket waiting to congratulate the Australians on their victory. The Australian players went into a celebratory huddle and were completely oblivious to the two Englishmen waiting to shake their hands ten metres away. Eventually the two shrugged their shoulders and left the field of play while the celebrations continued for the Australians. It is a moment etched in time. It was a moment where the Australians forgot what sport was about due to their win at all costs attitude. Maybe the warning signs were there then, even though there was a different captain at the helm. In fact only Smith, Warner and Lyon remain from that side, but from little things big things grow.

While old fashioned values such as respect, honesty and humility may appear to be a thing of the past there are still some sporting teams that hold them very close to their heart. The All Blacks are a clear example of this, and if you read James Kerr’s excellent book Legacy you will discover how these values and others are the responsibility of every player who dons that famous black jersey. They are not negotiable.

If you look at the Australian Kookaburras hockey team. A team that one could argue has been more successful than their Cricketing counterparts, having remained in the top four teams in the World for more than forty years. They, like the All Blacks have managed to pass on the traditions of the past, and the expectation and honour of pulling on the team shirt. Who can forget Kieran Govers in the final of the Hockey World League in Belgium with the scores tied at 0-0, going to the umpire who had awarded him a goal and admitting that he had not touched the ball, and the goal should not stand. The Kookaburras like to win like any Australian team, they play hard, but they want to honour the game and the team, so want to win the right way.

If you look at the great players in the great teams in sport they are given that status usually because of the way they carried themselves on and off the field. Richie McCaw, sure many will say he pushed the boundaries when on the edge of a ruck, but he will always be regarded as a true great, not just because of his playing ability, but also because of his leadership and his humility.

Jamie Dwyer will go down in the record books as one of Hockey’s greatest players ever. Five times he was voted the International Player of the year, he has won almost all there is to win the game. Yet he too has never lost his humility, he will talk to young players and encourage them to play and work hard. He respects and loves the game too much to ever want to harm it.

The interesting thing is all of these athletes would have dreamt of playing for their countries. No doubt almost all of them would have been encouraged by their parents to be the best that they could be. They were no doubt told that as long as they did that then they could be proud. Clearly some devoured the sport while others didn’t. They would have read about past matches and players, and familiarised themselves with the history. However all wanted to achieve. Then, once they reached the pinnacle they all wanted and dreamt of winning the various prizes on offer.

So when does the mindset shift to winning at all costs? When do some forget those old values, values that many of them benefited from as they were developing?

Is it money? Is it fame? Is it ego, the adoration of the public? Or is it the influence of coaches?

Whatever it is, maybe it is time to go back to building teams around those old values. Or in modern parlance building a ‘culture’ based on those values.

After all is not the most popular form of nationalist behavior in many countries sport? This is where masses of people become highly emotional in support of their national team, as we have witnessed in Australia in the past week to hysterical levels. Sport plays a significant role in national identity in many countries, and none more so than Australia. In fact it has been said that Sport is one of the most important “badges of membership” of a nation, whether you are participating or watching.

It was the late British Historian Eric Hobsbawm who claimed that sport was “uniquely effective a medium for inculcating national feelings.”

Yet do our sporting teams reflect how we feel the world perceives us as a nation? Is that why we have seen the reactions we have seen in the past week?

Maybe it does. It was Hobsbawm again who claimed that “The imagined community of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people.” Maybe he had a point. Which means it is all the more important that we ensure that those representing us adhere to the values that we all hold dear. That the “culture” is inline with our values. Certainly food for thought amongst those creating the ‘culture.’

(Let us know which team or athlete you feel best reflects Australia).