What Sports Teaches

When you walk off the field after having been trounced by an opponent -- or even worse, by several opponents in a row -- the normal emotion is either madness or sadness. And the easy thing to do with those emotions is to quit, to simply think that I can't possibly become that good. The more complicated and subtle temptation is to simply say "it doesn't really matter anyway -- after all, who cares?"

To those who choose the positive path, though, a trouncing reveals flaws which, when I correct them, can make me a better performer, possibly even a star performer. To those who will persevere, to those who modify their practice to improve, to those who have the attitude that will transform losses into positive action, the sky is the limit. What seemed to be unreachable becomes reachable to the athlete who sees his or her deficiencies and works to correct them.

Attitude is exceptionally important -- because "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." I've always loved the quotes you get from athletes, especially those who have been at the top of the game. For example,

• Tom Watson is supposed to have said "Sometimes you have to get worse before you get better." -- and --

• Lou Piniella explained why sports is important to life, when he specifically noted about baseball that the sport teaches you how "to get comfortable with being uncomfortable."

And before we dismiss everything Yogi Berra said as a joke, think about this one a little deeper: "You can observe a lot by watching."

This past weekend, I actually had a chance (now as a coach and long since being a player) to observe a lot by watching. One of the teams that beat us was clearly a superior team. But by watching them closely, I learned what could make me a better coach for kids this age. And I plan to implement some of those lessons learned.

The question is what the players will do with defeat. I think most of them -- maybe all of them -- will let the competition make them better ballplayers. And if they conquer that today, they will be set to conquer other obstacles later in life through hard work and perseverance. I hope they will look back 20 years from now as Michael Jordan looked back in his 30s. Per Michael,

• "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
• "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at some times. But I can't accept not trying."
• "I've always believed that if you put in the hard work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results."
• "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."
• "My attitude is that if you push me toward something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength."
• "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

And on and on I could go with the quotes from Michael and many, many others. What sports teaches -- or rather, what it has taught me -- is that good things come from hard work and perseverance. And that rule applies in sports, work, family, marriage, business, politics, and relationships. As Winston Churchill purportedly put it, "Never, Never, Never Quit!"