Monday, August 26th.
Thursday, September 5th.
Maybe these dates don’t mean much to you. But to our family they signal some of our favorite things—this year the US Open started on August 26th, and September 5th was the kickoff of football season. We’re big fans of rituals of every stripe, but sports rituals have a special place in our hearts.
My husband and I weren’t college athletes. I didn’t grow up in a house full of sporty brothers or sisters. But somehow we have become a family that plays, watches and even bets on (fantasy football!) a lot of sports. Together.
Because I’m writing a new book on rituals (watch out for Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines Into Workplace Magic by McGraw-Hill in the winter of 2021), of course I’m paying extra attention to what we do together as a family, and why.
Our walls are covered in pictures of all three of our kids—twin 16-year-old girls and a 14-year-old boy—from when they were little tots to now, ski racing, playing hockey, basketball, and soccer, or wearing swag from their favorite teams. So yes, of course, we have pics of all of us wearing our Knicks and Rangers jerseys.
I guess you could say a family that plays together stays together? It sure helps us stay connected to our hometown and experience the thrill of victory and agony of defeat together. Sharing in these basic human dramas through rituals is a magical way to bond, and sports, unlike so many other rituals, never get old.
Not just in families.
Embracing the rituals of sports is a powerful way for companies to gather together and bask in the glow of connection. I’ve met some short-sighted managers over the years who complain about lost productivity and how “no work gets done” during events like the World Cup and the World Series.
These are often the same people who are willing to spend silly amounts of money trying to increase employee engagement.
The glue that holds employees together is no different from what holds a family together—after all, we’re all human. Rituals, especially sports rituals, are a sure-fire and low stakes—practically free—bet.
Trust me, when managers play their cards right, they’ll be big winners.
Embrace the Madness
Ten years ago, Tom Gimbel, the founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, a Chicago-based staffing and recruiting firm, had an aha moment. March Madness was coming up and he knew his employees were obsessed, so instead of getting worked up about how to fight the power (especially since he knew he’d lose) and stressing over lost productivity, he said “let’s go all in on this, let’s really enjoy it.”
Instead of forcing sports fans into hiding, he invited them out into the open to share in their ritual—together. The first year was so successful that now he throws an annual March Madness office party for hundreds of employees and clients who sit around in their favorite team jerseys, watching TV, eating hot dogs and drinking beer.
(Is he hiring?!)
According to the Chicago outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the projected cost of March Madness, due to loss of productivity is “nearly 13.3 billion.”
That’s some serious cash.
But “trying to ban March Madness activities from the workplace would cost employers far more in employee morale, camaraderie and culture, which is particularly important when the labor market is really tight and companies are fighting to retain and attract the best people.”
That’s the value of connection.
ZogSports, a company that organizes community sports leagues with a give-back component, goes all out for big events. When I asked Rob Herzog, the founder and CEO, if they huddle together for big sports events, he told me: “We close the office from 12:15 p.m. (first tip-off) on the Thursday March Madness starts and all go to a bar to watch together. We run two March Madness pools—one for our full-time staff and the other for our field team and full-time staff to build connections and community around the tournament. We also let people stream games if they want when the office is open.”
Pretty crazy, huh? Sometimes, connecting is more valuable than cash. And sports rituals can help keep us flush.
Every new school year, as I look at all five of our increasingly full plates, I try to remember how important it is to honor our family’s love of sports and our life of rituals. I try to make time for all three kids’ soccer games (when I’m not on the road), for my husband’s Saturday morning, over-50 soccer games (aptly named the Geezers), and then for finally sitting down and putting my feet up for pizza and football on Sunday to end the week with everyone.
Stress levels down. Oxytocin up.
Rituals: They’re good for people, great for business, and just might change the world.
