Life IS Sport

Worthy Role Models

I was not expecting to be "moved" when I started thumbing through the February 26th edition.  In the first few pages were pictures of young African soccer players that competed in the first All Africa Amputee Football Tournament in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The pictures of the heroic soccer players on crutches, each one representing hundreds of other African amputee athletes as well as millions of Arficans that have endured war, genocide, poverty and disease was inspiring but it was a few their statements that moved me.

These athletes are the kind of role models I want for my son. A few pictures and quotes are below.


"...I got my problem during the civil war [in Sierra Leone], so that's why we came together to start our team -- to show the international people that we are the ambassadors of peace. No matter how you are in the world, you have to do something with your life." -- Mohamed Jalloh, 21.

"Don't look down on yourself. You can do anything you determine to do," -- Collins Gyemfi, 24.

The best sports movie of all time

So what is it for you?  This question always induces lively debate among friends but the conversation usually ends after everyone throws their vote in and does their narration of the best scene in the movie, ending with, "That was awesome".

If you want to find something deeper in your favorite sports movies, ask yourself what character you would want to play or be?  Why are you drawn to that character?

Let me demonstrate. For me the best sports movie of all time is Hoosiers. 

I would want to be Jimmy Chitwood.  Jimmy is the man.  His comeback propels his over achieving team into the biggest game of their life with the ball a shot to pull off a miraculous upset and win the state championship.

In this unparalleled moment in the history of sports movies, the team is huddled in the timeout preparing for the last shot, the coach designs the play with Jimmy as the decoy and the team reacts with shock and dismay.

Then greatness happens. Jimmy eyes his teammates and then his coach before calmly uttering, "I'll make it".  Then he goes out and hits the jumper as the buzzer goes off!

Are you kidding me? I cry every time I see it and my fingers have goose bumps just typing this!

Every kid who has ever shot hoops by himself in a driveway or on a playground has fantasized and rehearsed this scene a thousand times.

But the meaning of this scene for me is this. I want my life to be the cinderella story, to overcome the insurmountable circumstances for a shot to something great. When that opportunity comes, like Jimmy, I want to have the courage to overcome doubt and the belief to make the shot.

 

Life is sport. Be inspired.

I know what you are thinking. "Life is sport? Dude, turn off ESPN and get outside for some fresh air and some perspective."

Consider that life and sporting events have an allotted amount of time with a beginning, halfway point and an end. 

There is a scoreboard, winners and losers. Success is never easy and comes as a result of several factors including belief, focus, sacrifice, commitment, practice, teamwork and leadership to name a few.

Sport is a brilliant metaphor for life and a practical classroom for learning life's most important lessons.

I recently became a father and every day I watch my son Ty learn something new as he soaks up life and all that is in it. Recently, I have started thinking about all the lessons I have learned in practice and  games, from victory and defeat, from games I have watched and books that I have read about and by sports greats.

These lessons are invaluable because I am now in the coaching ranks, in the most important, influential coaching position in the world.

So, what did sports teach me? It taught me that winning feels great and losing feels bad.

It taught me that I am not gonna win everytime.  It taught me not to quit when I lose.

It taught me to play to my strengths, not my weaknesses. It taught me to play hurt.

It taught me to prepare, because my opportunity will come.

What has it taught you?