Halftime speeches are often shown in sports movies as motivational tools to inspire teams to achieve excellence. Movies like Hoosiers and Remember the Titans featured passionate halftime talks from coaches. A new study suggests that anger might be more effective than inspiration during halftime speeches. 

At the Haas School of Business, a research group analyzed hundreds of halftime speeches and final scores from high school and college basketball games and found that players tend to perform better after a more negative halftime speech from their coach. “That was even true if the team was already ahead at halftime. Instead of saying, ‘You’re doing great, keep it up,’ it’s better to say, ‘I don’t care if you’re up by 10 points, you can play better than this,” according to lead researcher and Haas professor emeritus Barry Staw.

Staw warns against overusing negativity, as it can harm the team. He advises coaches not to display extreme anger and frustration, as this could damage their players’ performance. “Our results do not give leaders a license to be a jerk,” Staw concludes.

Ephesians 6 – Measured Correction

Paul offers both positive and negative advice for parents on raising children in Ephesians 6:4. The command is clear: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger.” We should not provoke our children to the point where they resent us. Often, a coach or parent asks more than the child can handle, with too many demands that lead to anger and frustration. Unreasonableness, fault-finding, and inconsistency are all ways to provoke anger. 

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete avoid provoking their athletes or teammates to anger. Instead, they “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (6:4). This involves meeting their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Bible Memory Verse – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12  (LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute: Anger or Inspiration

Our featured book this week is Ecclesiastes – The Forward-Looking Coach. (A  10-Week Bible Study For Coaches Who Want To Lead With The End In Mind), written by Joshua Thiessen.

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