Our athletes are speaking – Are we listening?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Jamaica has been rocked, on the eve of the Junior and Senior National Championships, by the news that three of our top athletes, Roje Stona, Rajindra Campbell and Jaydon Hibbert, have switched allegiance to Türkiye.

There has been mixed reactions to the athletes’ decision; however, this should not come as a surprise. This “talent drain’ is not unique to track and field. There is also an ongoing saga in West Indies cricket where players are retiring from representing the region and opting to focus on franchise cricket, which provides financial security for them and family beyond playing days. Nicholas Pooran, our top T20 cricketer, retired from international cricket at the age 29 and at the peak of his game. He continues to ply his trade in T20 leagues around the world.

The business of sports is no different from than that of organisations in the private and public sectors, where employees are “poached” from competitors or other companies. It is even more challenging when we consider that organisations are required to employ strategies throughout the employee life cycle to keep individuals engaged while aligning the needs of the entity and those of the individual. The core of Jamaica’s track and field athletes are Gen Z’s; whose profiles suggest that they are more likely to change jobs than prior generations. In sports, the employment life cycle is short, which means that athletes are impatient in their quest for self-actualisation and realising their ultimate career goals. The JAAA must therefore strategise, with the understanding that patriotism is insufficient to retain these talented individuals. Harvard Business Review in an article referenced a 2022 Gallup Poll, which found that 54 per cent of Gen Z employees, slightly higher than any other generation, are ambivalent or not engaged at work. It is therefore critical for sporting associations to support and communicate with these Gen Z athletes, understand their issues and earn their full engagement.

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) recent inability to field strong relay teams, specifically in the men’s 4x100 and 4x400 to qualify for the upcoming World Championships, bears out this point. A high engagement and retention of athletes cannot be achieved without improved relationship and a common vision, mission and purpose of the JAAA, athletes, managers, agents and coaches.

Over to you JAAA and other sporting bodies, to apply cutting edge human resource and organisational development strategies to the benefit of our athletes and Jamaica’s sporting legacy.

COLIN BARNETT