In Episode 2 of the Truth In The Arena Podcast, I speak with Coach Kendall Green—Asst. S&C Coach at Alabama A&M University—about how his coaching principles inform his political perspective, focusing largely on the culture war battlegrounds of DEI, “Woke,” and the attempted erasure of black excellence from the historical record.
Green outlines his core values of Discipline, Effort, and Accountability: through his extended career in the performance field, he has worked to instill those principles in his athletes as keys to success both on and off the field. Importantly, Green always believes that his influence isn’t limited to the weight room or sports field, recognizing that the S&C motto “Do No Harm” extends to the fullness of his athletes’ lives.
Identifying a problem in the coaching field—a lack of female coaches in women’s sports and a lack of black coaches on sports dominated by black athletes—we discuss how efforts to recruit and retain more female and minority coaches have been derailed in the backlash attack on DEI.
Tracing definitions of woke back to 1990’s “conscious rappers” and beyond, the conversation shifts to the controversy over the erasure of Jackie Robinson’s military accomplishments as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, Tuskagee Airmen, and LGBTQ service members as a means of redefining “meritocracy” as the domain of the dominant culture.
Ultimately, Green emphasizes his belief that systems are composed of people and the way to change systems is to do the hard work of changing people. Emphasizing “people over profits,” Green discusses the need for leaders in any realm to show empathy and genuinely care for the good of the whole. From there, “patriotism” can become a unifying principle to uplift communities rather than simply celebrating a romanticized version of the past.
Chapter List
00:00 Introduction to Coaching Values and Principles
01:41 Guiding Principles of Coaching: Discipline, Effort, Accountability
06:51 Political Leadership and Coaching Values
10:37 Addressing Diversity in Coaching
11:48 Systemic Issues in Coaching and Society
18:29 Changing Perspectives in Culture Wars
21:55 Defining ‘Woke’ and Its Origins
25:50 The Battle for Recognition in Sports and Society
29:42 Human Development Beyond Sports
35:13 Mental Health and Athlete Well-being
43:05 Navigating Media and Information
44:29 Redefining Patriotism and Community Responsibility