Remember the Titans

Communication: Ethics and Conflict in Remember the Titans Breaking down the barriers of communication can often prove to be a difficult task especially if the obstacles are rooted in personal biases or biases rooted in social constructs. In Remember the Titans (2000), coach Herman Boone is tasked with teaching T.C. Williams High School's football staff and players how to overcome their biases in order to become a successful football team that operates as a single unit. Two concepts of communication, ethics and conflict management/resolution, are intrinsically intertwined.

Remember the Titans (2000) is set in the racially charged Virginia of the 1970s at the recently desegregated T.C. Williams High School. Coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, has recently been appointed as head football coach at the school much to the dismay of the school's former head football coach and staff, all of who happen to be white.

Likewise, conflict emerges between the high school's white football team, and the black students, who are seen as interlopers by the school's existing football team, who wish to play football under coach Boone. The conflict between coach Boone and former head coach Yoast, and the conflict between the black players and the white players, highlights the ethical dilemma of racism.

Coach Boone attempts to minimize the conflict between himself and coach Yoast by clarifying that he did not take his job, but rather that he was appointed to the position and thus, the decision was out of his hands. Through this explanation, coach Boone is able to communicate that he did not usurp coach Yoast and absolves himself from ethical misconduct in attaining the position.

Furthermore, coach Boone successfully creates an atmosphere of inclusion and allows coach Yoast to become the team's defensive coach thereby giving Yoast equal stake in the coaching of the team, which helps coach Yoast understand that coach Boone is not there to create problems, but rather is determined to train a successful football team regardless of who is playing for him.

On the other hand, resolving the conflicts between the white and black football players is more complex because their barriers to communication are not only based on race, but also on their social standing within the world of football. Coach Boone is tasked with making the football players realize that in order to be successful, they need to overlook their teammates' skin color and focus on their responsibilities as offensive or defensive linemen.

While the players are focused on their issues, coach Boone forces them to recognize their similarities, the fact that they have a single common goal. Coach Boone is able to accomplish this by bringing to light the inevitable consequence of their behavior and attitude. In order to do this, coach Boone takes the team on a run to Gettysburg and explains how their conflicts are similar to the conflicts of the past, and that they are in fact not moving on from the past, but rather repeating it.

By familiarizing the team with a common goal, coach Boone is able to open the lines of communication between the team players and finally get them to start working as a single, cohesive team (Wormeli, 2001, p. 17). Thus, coach Boone empowers individual team players and allows them to see that they are accountable not only for their.