BILL WALSH: COACHING WITH A TACTICAL MORAL COMPASS A THESIS SUBMITTED TOTHE FACULTY OF THE MASTER OF LIBERAL ARTS PROGRAMOF STANFORD UNIVERSITYIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREEOF MASTER OF LIBERAL ARTS

American football embodies the primal instincts of violence, emotion, dominance, impulsiveness, and aggression, causing Malcolm Gladwell to deem the sport “a moral abomination.” Indeed, any fan of the sport cannot deny that football is violent. Historically, the caretakers of the sport, football coaches, have led their teams by coaching the game in the same fashion it is played, relying on confrontation and intimidation. However, one person, former San Francisco Forty Niners head coach Bill Walsh, embraced an intentional coaching strategy centered on morality and ethics, and in doing so, produced some of the best football teams in the history of the sport. He applied this “moral compass” in his dealings not just with his players, but with all members of the organization, insisting on egalitarianism and a culture of mutual respect. A thorough study of Walsh suggests that a coaching strategy centered on morality and ethics can not only be successfully adopted in sports, but can enable teams to thrive.