Over and out

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The time has come. Again. There is no need for an obituary, but I think my feelings require at least some sort of summary. Leaving after 12 years is a big step. And this from a job that I have invested a lot of myself in. That is what most of us working in sports do. Perhaps what causes this is that sport has been our passion from an early age, and when it then gradually becomes our job, we do not notice the difference. If there is one. Sometimes, mixing passion with work can be a dangerous cocktail. For me, it is, and, for as long as I can remember, has been, life. This is a way of living that has given me friends around the world and experiences that I could have never dreamt about.

As I prepare for an introductory presentation in my new role I glance through some old cuttings collected over the years. Swedish Golf Federation, English Golf Union, Swedish Sports Confederation. Things I am proud of, and episodes from which I hope I have learned.

The former British prime minister, Tony Blair, put in words what I think many people feel when summarising a long involvement. In his case he, among other things, defended why he joined the Americans in the war in Iraq and said:

I did what I thought was right.

Tony Blair when announcing the handover date of the chairmanship of the Labour Party in 2007.

Quotes have often been a companion in my working life. When I left Swedish golf, soon to be a million years ago, I used John Mellencamp’s lyrics saying ”you better stand clear”. Ralph Waldo Emerson helped me leave England Golf by explaining that what lies within us is bound to be greater than what is both behind and ahead. When I now embark on my next adventure, after the Swedish Sports Confederation, I think it is time for an often used, but perhaps not always lived by quote:

When one door closes another door opens.

Alexander Graham Bell, on that we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.

It now falls on me to open the door presented in the form of the role as Global Performance Director for Red Bull Performance Center. I am excited to find out what is there, and I am thrilled to see a new door opening in Swedish sports, now that I have closed mine. And even if I too did what I thought was right, I am convinced that after this long a time, a new pair of eyes will look at what I produced and think, hopefully, that some of it was pretty clever. Other things will be questioned, teared up and replaced by even better decisions. And that is exactly the way it should be!

Making way to the Ryder Cup

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Not the Swiss alps, but the Home of Golf

My brother suggested to me that Ludvig Åberg winning the Omega European Masters, two shots ahead of Alexander Björk, would be a good topic for a blog post. The event in the Swiss alps carries a strong Swedish tradition, with several wins by Swedish players. This past weekend a new generation took over.

The following day, Luke Donald announced his Ryder Cup team and, to few people’s surprise, decided to give one of his captain’s picks to the newly crowned European Masters champion. Having won in only his ninth event as a professional Åberg’s rise to the occasion is sensational. Or is it?

On the PGA tour Åberg made his debut in the Canadian Open in June. This opportunity opened up as he finished his final collegiate year as the number one on the PGA Tour University Ranking. Starting in 2023, this leading player earns full exempt for the incumbent and following season. That the top ranked college player is PGA tour material is nothing new. The automatic qualification is though. No doubt a wise move by the tour.

Looking at Åberg’s college career makes impressive reading. He wasn’t the best player in only his senior year, but the two last years, playing for Texas Tech University. In fact, his fourth and final year he won all the prices there are to win: the Ben Hogan Award, the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Fred Haskins Award. And yes, he was also an All American collegiate golfer, meaning his grade point average was above 3.2 (where 4.0 is maximum).

So, in summary – should we be surprised? No. Should we be impressed? Yes. Immensely. And the simple reality is that Ludvig Åberg follows a long established principle:

Most of the ones that reach world class are at the top of their class at an early age*. However, not all of the ones that are, reach all the way.

Starting in Rome in a couple of weeks, Ludvig Åberg’s future journey will no doubt continue to impress.

*This age is different from sport to sport and will depend on the structure of the sport. Whether it really has to be ”early” is debatable.

När Gothia Cup lider mot sitt slut

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Efter några nätter på luftmadrass i skolsal kan det vara skönt att tillbringa någon timme med en kopp kaffe i lugn och ro. Jag passar på då laget, pojkar 13, intar Liseberg för en heldag. Ja, Gothia Cup är färdigspelat för denna gång. I alla fall för oss. Veckan har bjudit på blåst, regn, segrar, förluster, trasiga luftmadrasser, slagsmål på-, och utanför planer, polisanmälningar och frihetsberövningar. Allt detta hade ju inte denna ungdomsturnering i fotboll behövt, men kanske är det sådant som ingår. Över 1800 lag bestående av unga killar och tjejer åker snart hem med en uppsjö av upplevelser. Samma gör deras tränare och ledare. Och många föräldrar.

Mycket lägligt denna vecka snubblade jag över en artikel som delats av Mark Upton på LinkedIn. Artikelns författare är de svenska forskarna Jesper Karlsson, Magnus Kilger, Åsa Bäckström och Karin Redelius. Forskarna har undersökt vilka argument kommersiella aktörer inom barn och ungdomsidrott använder sig av när de säljer sin produkt. Efter att ha studerat webbsidor hos dessa aktörer har forskarna funnit tre immateriella värden som framhålls i marknadsföringen:

  • Kompetens – coacher, ledare och tränare framställs som välutbildade, pedagogiskt kompetenta och kapabla.
  • Individualisering – med hjälp av dessa välutbildade coacher utlovas verksamhet som möter behoven hos varje individ.
  • Glädje – erbjuds dels i form av den idrottsliga aktiviteten, dels i form av gemenskap och minnesvärda upplevelser.

Ingenstans i artikeln ser jag något nämnt om upplevelsen av luftmadrassen, 20 tonåringars behov av att gå på toaletten mitt i natten eller av att lyckas få med sig allt på packlistan både på ut- och hemresan. Eller av den erfarenhet som ideella tränare och ledare kan förmedla, också från andra delar av livet. Och kanske till och med från idrotten. En av de första jag hälsade på i matsalen på skolan där vi bodde med vårt lag var Svenska Fotbollförbundets Generalsekreterare. Även han tillbringade veckan på en luftmadrass. Det han, jag och ytterligare en handfull ideella ledare i varje (svenskt) lag delade med oss av under Gothia Cup tror jag är svårt att finna på den kommersiella idrottsmarknaden. Det känns som här ändå finns något värt att lägga sig på den där luftmadrassen för…

The golden opportunity

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Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the World Golf Conference, organised by The R&A at St Andrews. The R&A is the governing body of golf in the world outside the US and Mexico. My role was to be part of a panel that discussed high performance, in sport in general and in golf specifically.

Having been away from golf now for more than 10 years this conference was a bit like coming home again. At the same time it was evident how different many things are, both in terms of golf then and now, and in terms of how golf compare to other sports that I have seen more closely over the latter years.

One thing that struck me is how broad a conference on golf is. A World Conference in most sports would be about performance on the world stage. The golf conference is too, but there are so many other topics, from the golf course to equipment, that also need covering. Golf in this way controls its own destiny, much more than other sports, as all things relating playing the game are in control of the game itself. On the other hand, the issues around the performance side of the game are likely not to get the same attention, as they do in sports that have little influence over facilities or other infrastructural factors.

Awakening number two for me was how much golf related innovation that is happening right now, as a result of developments in technology. This includes everything from virtual reality golf gaming to Top Golf point scoring. Whether it is this fact, the pandemic, or something else that has had the greatest impact is hard to know but according to the R&A, more people (66 million) than ever before play golf around the world. And the last five years have seen a dramatic increase.

This is exactly where things get both interesting and difficult. The traditionalist in me admits that the numbers may look positive, but, many of those new golfers are not really playing golf. I mean, they are not members, they play a few holes at best, or they bang balls at a driving range. And do not even get started on trying to convince me that anything that can be done indoors have anything to do with the beautiful game that I love.

The alternative would say that perhaps the stale, pale and male me should open up, realise that following the times, and developing with the opportunities that innovation brings is exactly what a sport that is to be relevant in 50 years from now needs to do. And will benefit from doing.

I am just gradually getting used to it…

Breaking through

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Sedona Prince, soon the be ready for the WNBA draft.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

This quote allegedly originates from the 14th Dalai Lama. And everyone that has experienced the sound of a mosquito in the bedroom understands the meaning. Trying to find the origin of this quote, it seems however unclear when it was actually first used. Having just read some research about how sports has the potential to influence community building and social connection, I think now would have been a good time to say it, had the quote not already existed.

A couple of things lately have drawn my attention. Well, many people’s attention actually. It is probably wrong to resemble Gary Lineker with a mosquito, given his almost 9 million followers on Twitter. However, when he posted his take on the Home Secretary’s speech about how the Government’s new Immigration Bill aims to stop the boats with refugees coming across the Channel, he reached far outside those interested in football and the Match of the Day on BBC. In fact, he managed to get a lot of people interested in the charter of the BBC and it’s ”impartiality” requirement. Is that possible to balance with free speech and millions of people in a social media following?

After a few days of suspension Lineker was back on the air, perhaps thanks to the backing of many other high profile media people. So it would seem that using your voice to stand up for your values is allowed, even if you are a high profile TV presenter.

My second example of social media impact, to the extent of a mosquito in the bedroom, is Sedona Prince. As a high profile college senior on the University of Oregon basketball team she managed to go viral with a tiktok video showing the inequality of the men’s and women’s locker room gyms at the NCAA March Madness. As you might guess the video did not highlight how great the women’s gym was compared to the men’s. The interesting thing is that with 190 million likes to her account Sedona Prince by far bypasses her male equivalent in college basketball. On court he is a very sought after first draft for the NBA the following year. In social media however, it seems like the stories he has to tell have a smaller spread. And I think it is fair to believe that the NCAA from now on will equip the women’s gym in a slightly different way.

In summary, it would seem like when sports profiles choose to raise their voice on issues relating to how we all in society view people, and on questions of inequality, then things happen. And they break through to people far outside the sports bubble. And there is the chance for sport, and athletes, to really affect social connection and community building. The individuals have already gone there. What remains to be seen is if the large organisations of sport will follow.

Att säga tack och hej

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Till nutidens sällsynta upplevelser hör att få läsa en riktig tidning. En sån där i papper, med trycksvärta, stor som en hel väggposter och därmed omöjlig att bläddra i. Just den här morgonen får jag tag i måndagsexemplaret av den internationella New York Times till en kopp kaffe. Nu är inte jag den som normalt lusläser vad som står i denna bulletin men en notis på förstasidan fångar direkt min uppmärksamhet. Den handlar om golfspelaren Anthony Kim, som efter en snudd på sensationell start på herrarnas USA tour försvann från golfvärldens uppmärksamhet bara något år senare. Vad hände egentligen och hur kan någon med dessa fantastiska förutsättningar bara välja att inte utnyttja dem?

När jag läser om Anthony Kim påminns jag om det som efter covid pandemin blev känt som ”The Great Resignation”. Den inträffade då människor började ompröva sitt liv, sina val och kanske sina prioriteringar. Flera valde att sluta sina jobb, inte alltid för att gå till något annat utan för att använda sin tid här på jorden till något de upplever som mera värdefullt. Liksom i fallet Anthony Kim har flera diskussioner om detta handlat om huruvida man faktiskt kan göra så. Har vi inte någon slags skyldighet att bidra i produktion?

Just människor med tydlig fallenhet för något tycks ofta hamna i skottgluggen för andra människors tyckande när de väljer att inte använda sin talang. Det verkar som om att uppskatta andra saker, i mångas ögon, inte är okej om man, till exempel, är bra på idrott. Björn Borg fick uppleva detta då han som 26-åring lämnade tennisen. Hans egna förklaring var att det helt enkelt fanns andra saker han ville göra i livet.

I Anthony Kims fall verkar vägen till världstoppen ha varit kantad av en hårt drivande pappa. En far som Anthony till och med, under stundom, brutit med. Så vem vet, kanske var det inte alls för sin egen skull som Anthony Kim spelade golf. Möjligen var det just vad han upptäckte, efter att ha spelat ett Ryder Cup, när han helt enkelt smög iväg från golfen 2012. Och tänk om han idag, 2023, lever ett liv som är närmare det han egentligen önskade av sin tid till förfogande? I så fall är ju den här historien ganska vacker.

En torsdag i januari

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Blågult i Scandinavium

En helt vanlig torsdag i januari kan vara mörk, regnig och utan större glädjeämnen där man känner sig så där trött och grå som bara vi här uppe i Norden kan göra, efter att inte ha sett solen på flera månvarv. Precis så var den här dagen i Göteborg också. Men, inne i Scandinavium, och i anslutning till, var det som om ett helt annat tillstånd hade spridit sig. Det var fest och det var kul. Och det var blågult!

Sveriges herrar inledde VM på hemmaplan och Henrik Jonsson, som var en av de som gjorde sitt bästa för att höja temperaturen, menade att handbollen nu befann sig i sin huvudstad. Läktarna var fullbesatta, barnen glada och de vuxna förväntansfulla. Hotellen och restaurangerna i Göteborg levererade på högvarv. Många var glada!

Vi som gillar elitidrott vill gärna tro att det är bra för Sverige med evenemang och idrottsliga framgångar. Och detta, visar det sig nu ännu en gång, är inte helt ogrundat. I Storbritannien släpptes just en rapport som tittat på den ekonomiska och sociala nyttan med idrottsevenemang. Enligt rapporten tycker 70% av britterna att de blir gladare av att se och/eller gå på idrottsevenemang. Fyra av fem menar också att de är stolta över att Storbritannien är värd för stora mästerskap. Rent ekonomiskt levererade 12 evenemang i 25 städer sex pund tillbaka i värde på varje satsat pund, bland annat i form av 1600 jobb under 2022.

På idrottsarenan vann britter 315 medaljer i de evenemang som ägde rum på hemmaplan. En av de mest uppmärksammade var ”The Lionesses” som tog hem guldet i fotbolls-EM. En bidragande orsak till de många medaljerna var förstås att ett av mästerskapen var the Commonwealth Games, som är nästan lika stort som ett OS.

Så vad gömmer sig bakom denna framgångssaga? Ja, till exempel en väldigt medveten kalkyl med tillhörande strategi. Stora evenemang bringar intäkter till landet. Alltså satsar man pengar för att ”vinna hem” mästerskap. Idrottsliga framgångar gör tävlingarna roligare för hemmapubliken. Alltså satsar man resurser för att stödja idrottslig utveckling. Glada invånare tycker att landet är bättre att leva i. Alltså sluter man cirkeln och satsar skattebetalarnas pengar. Så enkelt kan det faktiskt vara.

Mamma Mia, what a party!

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Mamma Mia!

I was lucky enough to get invited to a Christmas party yesterday. To be honest, it was a Christmas lunch but as the afternoon went on and the festivities evolved I think the word ”party” more adequately sums up the general feeling. Hosting, was the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the UK, very professionally mastered by chairman Jan Olsson and CEO Peter Sandberg. Most of the work, however, done by the incredibly talented group of young men and women on scholarships with the Chamber. The reason I was there was that the project #elitesports2030 took part in the conference, #outerthinking, the day before. Having written about the conference, and the role of sports, already I am not going to go into that again. Instead I am focusing on the partying.

The role of the Chamber is to promote Swedish-UK relations in order to increase and help business. This could also be put in the reverse order. No matter how it is phrased, this is a long standing relationship. Sweden seems to have a good reputation, one linked to quality, nature and, overall what is perceived as sound values, in the UK. After a very nice lunch, filled with Swedish and British anecdotes, including a Swedish Lucia performance, the grand finale consists of a true Swedish success story. When the cast from Mamma Mia, the Party, enters the ballroom, they embody all the values that every politician and business person would like to be able to communicate, through being perceived as ”Swedish”. What Abba has done for the perception of Sweden abroad cannot be overestimated.

As I am travelling home the following day I am thinking that this is the role that sport has the opportunity to step into. Particularly as I remember the words of my next-door neighbour at the lunch, saying that the Sweden connection for our global companies is not all positive nowadays. The Sweden brand has been hurt by the changes of the political landscape, the increase in shootings and the overall perception of where the country is going. I think it is simply time for sport to step forward. After all,

When Sweden wins, we all win.

Att jobba med proffs

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Funderar på ett nytt blogginlägg och tänker att jag någon gång tidigare skrivit om proffs. En sökning på ordet i min egen inläggshistoria och jag hittar till exempel Marcus Berg, Tommy Engstrand och Wille Löfqvist. Även Suzy Whaley, då nytillträdd president för amerikanska PGA, alltså professionella golfares organisation, dyker upp. Och min dotters båda handbollstränare. Ett proffs är vanligtvis någon som är riktigt rackarns bra på det den gör. Ibland betyder det också att proffset i fråga tjänar bra med pengar på att vara riktigt bra. Långt ifrån alltid dock.

Jag tänker på det där med proffs igen, i samband med ett samarbete kring en kommunikationsinsats eller aktivitet som jag är med i. Nu hör det till saken att jag trodde mig förstå något om kommunikation. Detta utan att ha en enda poäng i ämnet. Men jag menar, Säg vad du tänker säga. Säg det. Säg vad du har sagt, räcker väl ändå ganska långt? Snacka om patetisk medelålders man, gravt överskattande sin egen förmåga.

I det här projektet jobbar vi med ett helt gäng proffs från D.et. Just det. Den där punkten mellan D och et är förstås ganska viktig. Och genomtänkt. Det är nu jag långsamt, långsamt börjar förstå vilken konstform, och ja, antagligen också vetenskap, kommunikation är. Manér, typsnitt, placering, storlek, bildval, musik, röst, intonation, färg. Listan är så lång att jag blir helt snurrig. En sak förstår jag dock. Hur allt detta påverkar mig. Det kan jag nämligen uppleva i hela min kropp. Jag ser, hör och översköljs snabbt av känslor när min hjärna stimuleras. Och dom proffs som jag hänger med vet precis var de ska skruva. Bilder, musik, film, voice over, text och ja, typsnitt också. Inget lämnas åt slumpen. Till slut så blir det så grymt bra. Jag förstår att jag återigen haft den där förmånen. Att vara nära de som verkligen kan. Proffsen. Den turen har jag faktiskt haft ganska många gånger i mitt liv. Och då märks det ju nästan inte att jag själv inget kan…

Advancing from division 6

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Returning home after two days on the road. All the way to the west coast of Sweden. Chalmers Technological University hosted two days, fully loaded with Sports Tech. At the same time, the school celebrated the first 10 years in the field. From the early steps taken, Sports Tech is now an established part of what this distinguished university does. And they do it well.

At the same time, when reflecting, I cannot help thinking that what I have experienced over these two days is very similar to the status of a large part of Swedish sport. People give of their time and go out of their way to help and support. In fact, when asked for key factors supporting their career many athletes say that it is the people along the way, in very few ways acting in a professional capacity, that have meant the most for their development as an athlete. The researchers that I meet at Chalmers are just like those people. They have a ”proper job” on the side. Often doing research that is important to the car industry or the shipping. Or some other major industry. But whenever they get a chance, they turn to sport. Maybe because that is where they would rather be. And we, in sport, owe them greatly for it.

In my presentation about #elitesports2030 at the conference, I spoke about strong institutes where research and sport meet. Such as the English Institute of sport, or the Australian equivalent. The funding that is put into these establishments makes our efforts look as if we are playing in the 6th division. And then we try to compete in the Champions league. However, I also said in my presentation, that president Obama said, that we are punching above our weight. One of the reasons for that is that we do like the stretched out, helping hand. And we like to extend it.

Now is the time to use those helping hands to increase the funding. The funding that is put into sports, elite sports and the research that helps develop it. Sport has the power to change the world, Nelson Mandela said. I think there has never been a better time, or a bigger need, for that!