Culture Change

By John McMullen

I first wrote about “changing the culture” of a team in 1999 when I was based in Minneapolis covering the Vikings, a perennially underachieving team that is seemingly always looking to rebuild its defense.

Well it’s 2006 and Minnesota is still trying to restore a semblance of competence to the unit with yet another coach that subscribes to the same, tired cover-two philosophy that has poisoned the Land of 10,000 Lakes since Tony Dungy arrived with Dennis Green in 1992.

But, this column is not about Minnesota, the NFL or the cover-two...It’s about the birth of a sports cliche.

By no means I am trying to say I created the “changing the culture” phenomenon. Like all exceptional writers, I’m sure I lifted it.

That said, I can pronounce unequivocally, you didn’t see the phrase very much when I first opined about it seven years ago. Now it’s become a trite and obvious observation....a cliche.

Everyone uses it to describe every team that’s struggling, especially in this town.

When Andy Reid runs the ball five times against Dallas, some face painting zealot calls WIP to let us all know ‘He needs to change the culture of the Eagles.’

When some South Philly housewife lets us know Bob Clarke needs to develop a man crush on a player that can actually skate, she will inevitably screech ‘He needs to change the culture of the team.’

And when some 115-year old man that actually saw Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx play lets us know Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell are too lazy, he too will spit out that ‘The Phillies need to change the culture of the team.’

This very week I uttered that we need to “change the culture of our newsroom” when some of the more obtuse people I work with tried to defend the fact a certain company feels a Winnipeg Blue Bombers - Hamilton Tiger-Cats wrap is of equal value and importance to Ben Roethlisberger getting hurt... because ‘We already did an NFL column this week.’

But now, I am going cold turkey and I urge you all to join me.

You see, what sealed the deal for me is when I thought about the fact that the very culture that needs to be changed in this town, Billy King, actually used the phrase himself.

How dare the guy that has devastated Philadelphia basketball actually look in the camera and let us know that he has to change the culture he carefully cultivated with an ineptitude rivaled by few in the history of sport.

With that it became official...”changing the culture” is dead to me.

-You can reach John McMullen at jmcmullen1@comcast.net or john@phillysportsline.com


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