The NFLPA’s “Player Team Report Cards” – their attempt at union-style school grading, but for football clubs – aims to spruce up the workplace experience for our gridiron heroes. They kickstarted this endeavor with a survey involving 1,300 players. No, it wasn’t about dissecting playbooks, breaking down tactics, or flaunting their hefty paychecks. Instead, they delved into the truly pressing matters: the training room ambiance, the level of cushiness during travel, and the all-important “are my post-game munchies on the house?” question.
According to their website, it’s all about NFL players offering up their raw opinions on the clubs they call home:
WHILE NOT A SCIENTIFIC SURVEY, “CLUB REPORT CARDS” WOULD REPORT THE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE OPINIONS OF NFL PLAYERS ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE CLUBS.
Hold your breath, because they went all out and put those unabashed scores front and center on their homepage. Impressive, right?
labor economists – those wizards of workplace wizardry – say that sprucing up the working environment is like picking the lowest-hanging fruit on the tree of productivity and profit. Yes, even for those minted NFL pros. The strategy is as clear as day: throw in some espresso machines, stock up the snack bars, maybe toss in a ping-pong table, or go all out and offer your workforce free cryo-egg treatments (yes, that’s a thing). A small perk here or there has a magical way of echoing in the minds of employees, making them feel warm and fuzzy, and ultimately, more loyal and content.
I fondly recall my days at Bytedance when we clocked in extra hours at lunchtime just because they offer of free coffee. Nothing fancy, just drip coffee – but the trick worked.
And the small, seemingly trivial matter can be the tie-breaker, or even the pivot of a decision. When we students pick our dream colleges, those dorm rooms and amenities aren’t just an afterthought. They wield the power of the “deal-breaker” – as in, it’s fine if it’s meh, but if it’s horribly dreadful, we’re outta here. Gen-Z, in particular, doesn’t mess around with lame and carelessly set up facilities - at least, the administrator shall show concern, otherwise we’ll rubbish you on the internet until either one of us are done with it.
I’m dreaming of a similar survey in China. Picture this: the C9 universities or Shanghai’s college association teaming up to drop an unapologetic truth survey about their dining halls and dorms. It’s a lofty vision, I know, and I’d be shocked if it ever takes off. Cause it would need some serious institutional muscle and a hefty dose of neutrality to pull off. But if it did, the impact would be nothing short of spectacular.
The brains behind the NFL Player Team Report Cards played it cool, but let’s not kid ourselves – unveiling a club’s potentially cringe-worthy status quo is a Herculean task. Expect all kinds of bumps in the road, from friction to full-on legal roadblocks. The simplest question is, would teams sue the NFLPA for tarnishing their pristine image and messing with their cash flow? Well, if I were sitting on a report card full of F-minuses, I wouldn’t waste a second sueing whoever’s putting out this bullshit.
Btw, the NFL team report survey revealed something interesting. They found a weak but still exsiting negative correaltion of teams’ performance with their survey scores. Hmm. I think it’s survivor’s bias but it’s indeed something nontrivial to look into.