Leadership Skills in Sports

Through leadership skills, leaders demonstrate their commitment to goals, communicate effectively, and motivate other people to work collaboratively. Colin Kaepernick illustrated this from a simple gesture that escalated the frustration about social injustice and police brutality in sports.

Noting that the protest was triggered by the murder of George Floyd by police who knelt on him, kneeling by Kaepernick and other players is controversial. It shows the police how they used a formerly sign of surrender to kill someone – echoes Floyd’s murder. As such, the law enforcement views it as a sign of defiance and resistance, which has spotlighted the blacks from the police. Thus, while Kaepernick began a significant wave against social injustice from the sports arena, the recent shooting by police of Jacob Blake on August 23^rd shows that injustice is not yet over.

Nevertheless, I think players have put significant effort in fighting social injustice and police brutality. As mentioned in the analysis, social injustices have led to the cancellation of sports seasons as players refused to play. Also, players like Kaepernick have led protests creatively through the kneeling gesture. That aligns with Scott (2014, p.104) that leaders develop new and unique approaches when solving complex situations. I agree with the analysis that the Vroom, Yetton, and Jago Normative Decision Model is appropriate to avoid adverse ramifications such as cancellations. For instance, consultative or collaborative and autocratic style may help gather critical information, define the problem easily, and get expert help to manage group decisions (“The Vroom-Yetton Decision Model: Deciding How to Decide,” 2020). That way, NFL leaders gain by saving the sports seasons and combating police brutality and social injustices.

References

Scott, D. (2014). Contemporary Leadership in Sport Organizations. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Chapter 6

The Vroom-Yetton Decision Model: Deciding How to Decide. Mindtools.com. (2020). Retrieved September 17th, 2020, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_91.htm.