A new motivation theory?

The South African cricket team, ranked second in the world, just lost the first cricket test against the West Indies, ranked seventh. In the aftermath of the shock defeat, coach Micky Arthur "punished" the South African team by forcing them to remain in their dressing room to listen to the West Indies' victory celebrations next door (Beeld newspaper, 31 December 2007).

While keeping in mind that newspaper reporters sometimes misquote people or get the context wrong, the idea of "punishing" an international sporting team in such a childish and demeaning fashion, seems questionable to say the least. I can't imagine even a primary school cricket coach "punishing" his team like this for losing.

Or is it perhaps part of a new management fad, motivation by shaming?

Sports coaches seem enthusiastic users of quackish and even crazy management fads - consider Kamp Staaldraad and genetic brain profiling in South African rugby. I have it from Dave Snowden that the former British rugby coach, Clive Woodward was also into management fads. The Welsh centre, Gavin Henson, found himself in the rugby wilderness after resisting some of Woodward's management methods. Is Mickey Arthur following the same path?

An the other hand, maybe I'm guilty of committing a kind of strawman fallacy here, with the pressure coaches are under these days, Mickey Arthur may just have lost it!