Of Jobe and Jay-Z

Much of sport involves fundamentals. Practice. Run some drills. Build muscle memory.

Speaking of muscles, however, a recent event reminded us that creativity plays a major role in sports, too. We’ll have more on that in a moment, but first, here are some thoughts on the creative factor in sports.

Coaches sometimes need to keep a lid on creativity. "Take the sure out, chip the puck off the boards, lay up in front of the hazard," they tell us. The safe strategy has value, of course. Its value lies in setting up the creative play that must follow. After all, the point of safely getting the puck out of the zone is for it to then be picked up by Wayne Gretzky so he can use it to execute multiple dekes and put home a top-shelf beauty.

Two men known to produce excellent creative work in the sports industry : former 39 On Deck host Craig Miller and NHL Hall-of-Famer Wayne Gretzky

So it is in all creative pursuits. The writer must research. The designer must master software. The rhythm players must set the tone for the soloist. Indeed, recent years have seen an ever-increasing influx of creatives in other fields crossing over into the sports world. Master P represented Ricky Williams. Jay-Z started Roc Nation.

Sports offers much that should appeal to the creative spirit : colors, colorful wordplay, personalities, stories, and many, many microcosms of the human condition. Sports innovation comes as spontaneously as a jazz sax break when a Cristiano Ronaldo concocts a never-before-seen dribbling flurry. It comes through the meticulous process of an old master painter when Joe Maddon pores through data that inspires a vision to move his third baseman to some previously unimagined fielding position when a certain hitter bats.⁽¹⁾

Yes, even coaches get creative, though some might not admit it. All the best teachers find fresh ways to help pupils succeed, and the coach who can modify her formulae when called for may also end up modifying the scoreboard in her favor.

The best creative endeavors in all fields build on a game plan. At its heart, creativity is about finding a solution to a problem, whether of communication, of how to thread a pass through a zone defense, or of something greater. Which brings us to the event we referenced at the top of the article.

The muscle (and ligament) related event was this month’s passing of Dr. Frank Jobe. Doctors, too, must endure a minor league journeyman’s career’s worth of mastering the basics before they graduate into the ironically named level of their field known as practice. Dr. Jobe went a step beyond. His decision to replace Tommy John’s cleft elbow ligament with one harvested from elsewhere in the pitcher’s body derived from a boldly creative idea.⁽²⁾ The physician’s solution to Mr. John's problem led to success not only for that player, but also for countless others.

Succeeding in sports (whether playing them, marketing them, coaching them, or supporting them) requires creativity. Hopefully your success doesn't necessitate innovating a surgical technique. But if you drive right every time, the defense will eventually figure it out and you're going to need to think of something else. Maybe you should try dribbling left from time to time, or pull up for a jump shot, or, for goodness sake, pass the ball for once in your life. Some are better at being visionaries than others. In Chris Paul's hands, creativity results in a dunk for his teammate; In mine, a turnover careens out of bounds.

Sports, in all its aspects, can never be about succeeding every time. But it should always be about enjoying oneself. New ideas in all fields come with an aim to improve life, whether through an inspirational film, a morale-building company initiative, or just enabling one to throw with a working elbow ligament. As part of the human condition, sport can be no different.

Creativity is fun. Sports are fun. That they should co-mingle seems fundamental. 

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

RushOlson.com

Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports

Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Footnotes

(1) Hunter Atkins, “Rays’ Joe Maddon: The King of Shifts,” New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/sports/baseball/rays-manager-joe-maddon-is-the-king-of-shifts.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 (accessed March 14, 2014)

(2) Will Carroll, “Dr. Frank Jobe, Tommy John and the Surgery That Changed Baseball Forever,” Bleacher Report. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1672080-dr-frank-jobe-tommy-john-and-the-surgery-that-changed-baseball-forever (accessed March 11, 2014)