We are many. Can we be as one?


My Price and Value post earlier this week seems to have struck chords with some performance analysts.
The post has become one of the most read posts on Clyde Street and there were some important exchanges on Twitter. I have been reflecting on these responses and this is a follow up post.
The title of this post comes from the lyrics of an Australian song

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come …
I am, you are, we are …

I am sorry about my naivety in using these but they do resonate with me about the next phase in performance analysis.
We have to address these kinds of issues:
Lucy Rushton

Couldn’t agree more As we have to make a stand. We cannot continue to devalue ourselves in this way Its too easy to say ‘thats football {insert sport name}’. It’s not. Its what we have created & accepted. We cant let our passion for our job continue to be exploited

Amber Luzar

And it doesn’t take long for the novelty to wear off and the 60+ hours a week you work feeling extremely undervalued…for the love and growth of sport, this must change, to keep world class analysts continuing to be world class!

Jason Lear

The same issues seem to raise its head every couple of months and its sad that no collective exists to adopt the broader industry arguments. We remain or seem fragmented and easy to deflect by employers.

Lance Du’Lac

Time seems right to come together and change that then.

I am mindful that in starting this part of an occupational culture discussion, I do have responsibilities in an actionable conversation.
My commitment is to go away and do some comprehensive research about practice that I can share with the community.
In asking if we can be one, I am not asserting an homogeneous view of performance analysis and analytics. I want to celebrate diversity and different epistemic cultures.

A starting point for me is to engage with cultures whose first language is not English. I am critical of my own anglo-centric emphasis.

A second point is to discuss gendered identity in performance analysis and the languages we use to describe performance analysis practice.

Thirdly, I want to continue to advocate for our community to share practice openly so that we can have transparent conversations about our culture. (And support those who give their time and energy to connect our community.)

Fourthly, I think this is a conversation we must have with professional organisations, institutes of sport, and sport organisations.

This is where we can become one … through mutual recognition. It is my fight but it could be our shared fight if it is right for you.
I hope you do not mind me ending with music. When I think about what we can do together, I have this kind of performance in mind, at the end of a long day concert.
I will be back, possibly on drums.

Photo Credit
Baby’s hand (Fruity monkey, CC BY 2.0)

2 COMMENTS

  1. Many thanks for your posts Keith. I’ve been following the conversation. For those in Australia it might be helpful to know about this resource https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/unpaid-work/work-experience-and-internships
    Secondly, lawyers are having this exact issue with what has been described as ‘over supply in the market’. There has been reports of lawyers having to pay in order to do the internships, so perhaps some learnings from their industry? https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/news/17180-law-students-call-for-tighter-regulation-of-unpaid-internships.

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