Adsactly Sports - The Struggles of a Sports Team Rebuild
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If you have been a sports fan long enough you have been there. That season that you know is going to be a write off for your favourite team. At some point in our lives, our favourite team has gone through the dreaded rebuild. There are some rebuilds that seem to happen really fast while there are others that feel like they last an eternity. The term rebuild gets thrown around often in the sports world. Pretty much any time a team is struggling and suffering through a losing season, there will be people saying that they need to take a serious look at their roster and consider a rebuild.
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The whole idea behind a rebuild is to basically tear the team down and start fresh with a new roster. Now, this doesn't mean getting rid of everyone on the current roster but it means that you are going to make a significant number of moves and see a lot of new faces coming through the doors. Often the rebuild will start midway through a losing season where there is just no sign of recovery. At that point, managers start looking at their rosters and determining why they are in such a losing position and what are some of the ways to rectify the situation going into the next season. Sometimes it can be as simple as changing the coaching staff and unfortunately, there have been many a head coach who has been the sacrificial lamb for poor game performance from players. Eventually, it comes down to team chemistry and having the right players and when managers determine that this needs changing then the floodgates can open.
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It is not easy for fans to go through a rebuild. It usually means saying goodbye to players they have been cheering for and it almost always means going through some rough times in the win-loss column. Watching your team lose game in and game out can be very hard. The worst part is that these rebuilds usually don't happen overnight. Losing is one thing but when your team is just downright bad and the quality of the play is less than professional standard, many fans take a step back. The reality of sports is that winning drives your followers and puts butts in the seats. To make things worse, it often takes a few seasons for the team to right the ship and get themselves back in the winning ways.
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Rebuilds can be accomplished by acquiring players through free agency or by getting new young blood via the draft. Usually, successful rebuilds are done using a combination of both. The Dallas Cowboys were once able to rebuild a significant chunk of their team including what turned out to be their entire offensive line by trading RB Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings. The trade is still known as the biggest player trade in history and in the end, the Cowboys were able to turn the players and picks received in the deal into a team that won three Super Bowls in the 1990's after finishing 1-15 in 1989, the year of the trade. Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins were able to make quick transformations by getting some luck in the draft. The Blackhawks were able to draft Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews while the Penguins scores Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Both teams turned into immediate contenders and have won several cups since.
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Then there are those rebuilds that don't go so well. Let's face it, the Cleveland Browns have been trying to fix their franchise for a very long time and it feels like it has been decades that this rebuild has been happening. They might have finally found some of the pieces to make this thing work but oh, how painful it must have been to be a fan for all those losing years. I have personally been struggling through a long rebuild for my Edmonton Oilers who have struggled to be a competitive team for over a decade now. They have been blessed with several 1st overall draft selections but until now have failed to make any significant strides towards success. Hopefully, Connor McDavid is the man to take them to the next level.
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As a fan, I can live with a rebuild and watching the team grow and develop can be fun. The only issue I have is when the team flounders between a rebuild and a retool. This means that they are not committing to tearing things down and starting fresh. Instead, they hold onto a core that continues to fall short of expectations. When you watch a management group and team constantly spin their wheels and nothing positive happens then it becomes very hard to watch. The Browns have finally found the formula with the addition of a new GM and several high talent draft picks.
Our local NHL team, the Ottawa Senators, are in the midst of a self-proclaimed rebuild. The rebuild has seen a major cleaning house on the roster including the trading of two time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. The team is full of new and young faces as they attempt to start developing many of their young prospects. They have managed to keep a few veterans on the team such as Matt Duchesne and Mark Stone but it is the youngsters like Thomas Chabot, Colin White and Max Lajoie who are providing the spark.
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Going into the season there were some pretty low expectations for this team and fans were calling into the local sports radio show to express their displeasure. Many season ticket holders threatened to cancel their seats. The team is off to a good start so far but it is not the winning that is the big story. The big story is the development of team chemistry and the way they play. They are an extremely hard-working team and they are playing a high tempo and fun game to watch. This has fans excited about the future and looking forward to the rest of the season. The team is still in for long and possible painful ride this year but as long as they are able to keep up the enthusiasm and keep playing fun hockey, the fans will remain supportive. Rebuilds are not easy in any market but if the team at least appears to be making positive gains and the product on the field, ice and court is watchable then fans will stay loyal. It is those lean years that make us appreciate the good times when they arrive. Just ask any long-term Patriots fan. They experienced some of the longest losing runs ever before finding magic and becoming the dynasty they are today.
Authored by @broncofan99
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This post has received a 20.00% upvote from @jmiller05!
I do not watch the NHL games but your analysis applies to all aspects of sports. When rebuilding a team as clearly pointed out by you and agreed by me, it either comes in fast or slow speed. Fast in the sense that in a mid season transfer window you can RIGHT the WRONG, some time it takes full season or more . Let me use Liverpool football club of which i am a fan to give an example. Since after liverpool won the 2015 Champions league, and lost most of their influential players to the transfer window they have been struggling to rebuild a better team. It has been more than 6 years and counting now and they have not won any major trophy to show. There has also been a lot of selling and buying of players and managers too. Some section of fans have been patient waiting for the day liverpool fc will return to its day of glory, while some fans have been impatient too and can't hold it anymore. Since after that season Liverpool also have signed and sold different players and have employed and sacked up to 5 managers too.
Every manager and players have their style of play, so when making the choice of rebuilding a team as a manager , you have to look out for players with such qualities and experience too.
I will like to mention that lack of plans for the future also affect rebuilding a team, why did i say so?
You need to also carry the young players along when the first team players are at their peak of playing so that once they start ageing the young ones would have blended on the team style of play.
Another thing of note is team strength and team spirit, their are players who either they leave or come into the team increases the Team strength or spirit or some cases both of them, example of such players are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi amongst others whom we all are aware and have seen them play.
This is such a wonderful piece from @broncofan99. You made vital and valid points. I love what i read.
Small correction: I am assuming you mean the Champions League of 2005, not 2015?
Referring to the matter at hand, looks like Liverpool have finished their rebuild--they had a dangerous attack triumvirate, and with the acquisition of Van Dijk last season and Alisson Becker this window (along with Keita, Fabinho and Shaqiri), they're in good position to seriously challenge.
One thing that matters in a rebuild is philosophy--if the coach/manager of a team has a specific philosophy of how the team is to play, it is up to both that coach and the front office to identify and acquire the talent that fits. Klopp's Liverpool and Guardiola's Manchester City are good examples of identifying players that fit and continuously molding them after acquisition to play your brand of football; on the other end, we have--as much as it pains me to say it--Manchester United, who have splashed the cash on players but still seem to have no cohesive gameplan.
It ain't just about players--it's about a top-down philosophy that requires the front office, the coaching staff, and the players to be aligned. That's how you successfully rebuild.
So true. It starts with ownership and flows down from there. It takes everyone on the same page working together to get these done right.
Thanks for reading and for the great comment. I like your comment about spirit. You need a group of players who are willing to go through some hard times and still give 100%. Those are the players who will be your leaders when you make the turn around.
Excellent work, @broncofan99! I share each of your words. I believe in reconstructions and changes, because if behind those movements there is a great manager, positive results will surely be achieved. Every team, every structure, needs to change in some moments the pieces, but those changes, as in chess, must be thought very well. The problem is when those movements are erratic and without any basis. I read your article and remembered the 2003 and 2004 season of my favorite team in Venezuela. I'm a baseball fan and my team went through one of the most difficult transition seasons in the history of the national sport. In the midst of a general crisis in which the owners of the team had declared bankruptcy, they began to make changes that even the least trained would have disagreed with. I remember that in that season they ended up selling the team and the bad streak continued. We all thought it was witchcraft or something. We didn't make the minimum moves and all the players were injured. I remember that year, the new owners brought in some imported star players who even got sick and had to return to their countries. That year couldn't have been worse: we finished last behind the ambulance. And I say we're done because we fans feel part of the team. For the following season, in the middle of the mockery, they brought in an excellent manager who asked to work with rookies. Pure young blood with a thirst for triumph and a desire to do the job. That season was unique: we started first and became champions! However, we never forget that year of change and where due to bad strategies, everything was a nightmare. I really enjoyed reading your work! Perfect. Applause for you and @adsactly for such excellent material.
Thanks so much for reading and for the wonderful comment
Exactly, apart from the aspect of sport, rebuilding isn't an easy journey, most times it's comes easily and most times it's take the life out of you.
In sport, every fan looks forward for a rebuilding most especially when the team isn't performing close or it's expectations. Most times not even the players needs to be subtitued for a greater rebuilding to occur, the coach could be or the staffs. Like in the case of arsenal now, if you notice the team lacked team work and team spirit during the time of Arsene winger which I wouldn't say it was he fault but now that he has left, a new coach has came, with few new players, you can now see how arsenal are playing now, even if not to expectations but far fat better than before and like we now rebuilding doesn't just occur once as its a process.
Great article @broncofan99, You've impacted more life to me about rebuilding.
Rebuilds can be exciting for fans when done right.
Are you kidding me? Open the Floodgates? Right the Ship? You win the academy award for best pictures in an article! Too Cool.
It seems to me that some rebuilds are for rebuilding purposes and some are for selling tickets. The first option has a solid plan spread over 5 years or more and the second consists mainly of splashy trades and free agent acquisitions. Those and a good PR department that will make lots of tasty Kool-Aide for the fans to drink.
I would suggest the Raiders and Browns as examples of the 'surface' rebuild and the Houston Astros and the LA Rams as a deeper talent pool.
Thanks for a great article.
Lol, those pics worked perfectly didn’t they. You are so right about ticket sales. Sometimes it is more about bringing people in the door than winning in the end. When you can get both is when you have the right recipe.
Great write up. Actually it is good post. I have also been a sport fans so i can still remember my team that i usually support which is a football team was performing woefully, losing matches and so they decided to sack the manager and also they also sold some players that was performing woefully. They need to do some rebuild like you said by appointing new manager and also buying new players which made their performance to improve which is as a result of rebuild
It can be such an intricate job trying to fine tune and improve a team for the long run. Some teams sacrifice future success for short term gains while others are willing to take the long road.
This analysis allows even the least knowledgeable of the subject that the changes that must be made in the teams are necessary from time to time to strengthen them and prevent them from falling into failure. Renewal is important in every sense because it allows reinventing oneself, updating the conditions of the team for its benefit and also out of respect for the fans. I don't know much about the NHL, but in my country there is the Venezuelan Baseball League (LBV) and the games with the highest box office are those of the Leones del Caracas and the Navegantes del Magallanes, they are called the eternal rivals, they are games that fill stadiums and fight for the titles of the season. It's possible that in this league there will be reconstructions like the ones you explain here, surely because that's the healthiest thing for the teams to stay active, with excellent players and with young relievers who start representing those teams. The Magellan team uses the boat as a badge or symbol and your boat photo reminds me of when my Magellan team loses, hahaha. Good article, greetings, @broncofan99
Thanks for reading and for the comment. There are teams all over the world that need to rebuild sometimes in all sorts of sports.
Go #Browns and eff the #Broncos ;) Good read though.
Excellent work, really, thanks for sharing, is a great analysis that you perform.
Thanks
"Rebuilding" teams of any type of sport can be beneficial, specially for the fans to support the team again with their hopes reestablished.
But this process has a big disadvantage, the team loses their habits of being together for many years (seasons) and that is something that you can´t teach, you need players to be together for some time so they can understand their teammates and the way they work better together.