Scoggins: ‘Culture’ is more than just a word for P.J. Fleck and the Gophers

P.J. Fleck used the word “culture” 10 times at his first media session in Minnesota back in 2017. He didn’t introduce that term into the sports vernacular, but few people in leadership positions believe in the power of culture as an organizational tenet more than the Gophers football coach.

Fleck’s entire program revolves around the concept of connectivity, sacrifice and being part of something greater than oneself.

His players wear collared shirts to class and are required to sit in the first two rows. They volunteer in the community and write letters of appreciation to fans. They take self-improvement and financial literacy classes and learn dining etiquette. Those are just a few examples of time spent away from the football field.

Fleck freely admits that his program isn’t for everybody, but players who do commit to it buy Fleck’s approach and message by the bushel. They often recite his favorite catchphrases in interviews.

“This is a transformational program in every area that we can possibly be,” Fleck said.

A new area has added a thick layer of complications for every coach trying to maintain cohesion and order inside their program. College sports essentially became professional sports with the arrival of revenue sharing.

Fleck is no longer only a football coach and program CEO. He also must serve as a general manager assigned with distributing millions of dollars to his players.

“Pay-for-play won’t change how we run our program,” he said. “It will add what education we give our players in the future.”

This new dynamic brings different challenges. Previously in recruiting, Fleck sold himself, his program, playing time, a path to the NFL, academic programs and life on campus. Money is included in the sales pitch now, and sometimes money makes life messy.

The revenue sharing payouts are not dispersed equally. Players sign contracts of varying amounts. Contract details are undisclosed, but secrets are hard to keep. Imagine, for example, if a player making less than a teammate at the same position is outperforming him on the field. That’s one potential land mine.

Human emotions tied to money are normal. Jealousy, greed, anxiety, fear. College athletes that are still teenagers are earning six-figure compensation (some in seven figures) while still maturing into adulthood.

“They’re almost doing life in reverse,” Fleck noted.

“It’s more about the education piece than just the money,” Fleck said.

The business side is unavoidable though. Relationships between coach and player have become more transactional because money is being exchanged. In some cases, life-changing money. Recruiting from the transfer portal is like speed dating, which can make the process of identifying priorities even more complicated.

Keeping finances from infiltrating the locker room is not something that coaches had to worry about previously.

“The louder the noise gets on the outside and the more changes happen on the outside, the more you have to continue to be authentically and genuinely you on the inside,” Fleck said.

The landscape has changed, Fleck said, but not the core beliefs he preaches. Players earn a wage now so teaching them about taxes and managing money and finding trusted advisors become critical pieces of the education process that is the foundation of his program.

The Gophers will never be the richest athletic department in the realm of name, image and likeness and revenue sharing. Schools supported by boosters with ridiculously deep pockets and willingness to spend generously have and will court high-performing Gophers athletes under the temptation of riches.

A strong culture alone isn’t enough to thwart those overtures, but Fleck believes what is baked into his program will help him thrive in this new transactional world.