Instituting Change: Bowerman & Flood

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Fundamental change within any organization and society is frequently more difficult to attain than expected. Dedication, influence, and sacrifice of a strong leader are integral to challenging the establishment and making long-lasting changes. In Kenny Moore’s Bowerman and the Men of Oregon and Brad Snyder’s A Well-Paid Slave, we encounter two headstrong and innovative leaders, Bill Bowerman and Curt Flood. Both became prominent figures in their sports during a decade when demands for reform in America challenged conventional institutions of the time and inspired 20th century change. "The thing the sixties did was show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility." - John Lennon, December 8, 1980 Similar to the reformers, Bowerman and Flood showed absolute allegiance to their causes and, in doing so, had immense impact on modern sport and societal structure. Bill Bowerman’s unwavering message and example of what human beings, with effort and emotion, can accomplish, transformed track and the forthcoming culture of American athletics. Brad Snyder’s A Well-Paid Slave examines Curt Flood’s lawsuit against baseball’s owners, which serves as an ultimate example of the period’s milieu of reformer challenging establishment. Although they differed in tactic, personality, and circumstance, each man firmly left his imprint on the economic and cultural future of sports. During his tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon from 1949 through 1972, Bill Bowerman won four national team titles and trained and coached forty-four all-Americans and nineteen Olympic athletes. But perhaps more importantly, Bowerman revolutionized the coaching philosophy and techniques of track. His tactical implementation of recovery days and of intensity variation was the first of its kind and enabled

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