Because sometime, you’re gonna lose at something~
I pounded the integrity drum loudly, lately. Scandals in college and NFL took center stage. Players
behaving more like thugs then men of honor—much less, those guys in question outta
be more thankful than a pig in sunshine, blessed with talent and health to play
beyond high school is a privilege!
Programs crumble brick by brick, because various accusations surface like sharks searching for their next meal. Cheating violations continue plaguing programs, which then leads to sanctions.
Even worse, programs covering for coaches that should have been banned from being
around any boys at any time. Black eyes of all kinds
brought-on from top executives down to water boys have tinged our most beloved
game of football. Is it any wonder why I am so passionate to keep the sport
pure as possible?
Football in its purest sense is about teamwork, discipline,
self-sacrifice, hard work, and sportsmanship. By definition, the game is
supposed to teach a boy how to become a man. However, the reverse is oftentimes
too true. Football can also morph a man back into an immature, juvenile boy who
makes bad choices. That my friends, is sad!
Sad or not, the good news is, we can champion winners! Now, the above
paragraph does not mention any scoreboard stats. No win columns or digit
markers. Maybe a win is simply
showing up. Maybe a win is gauged by
ones character. Maybe a win is baking
cookies and sharing them with a neighbor. Maybe a win has more to do with what is on the inside of a person than what is recorded for all to see and admire.
I believe at the core of every person lays a barometer, the measure of ones thoughts and actions. Often egocentricity is at the heart of ones infractions. Oh, that ego
fella is one bad boy! Pride runs a close second. Certainly
most sports, football or otherwise, could never teach or coach selfishness, their
scoreboards would most surely reflect losses. When did our culture become so self-centered? Yet, we see it time after time,
and especially in sports. What’s up with that? I guess because the media picks
up on almost every move a team makes and the players who make wrong choices.
The juicier the better.
Here’s an interesting story. One reflecting the purest sense of what it
means to be an unselfish coach. For the record, I haven’t the foggiest clue
about the game of lacrosse, but I can spot a guy that we can all learn from who
possesses exceptional standards. This man holds more moral heart than anyone
I’ve met or read about in recent years. His loyalties, honesty, honor, and by
golly, his integrity reaches new heights. Or, maybe I should say, are at his core.
Mike Pressler redefined a win. His integrity tools put him back on top and
he continues to turn down zillions of bucks to stay right where he is. How many
coaches across this great land of ours can say that?? It all goes back to doing
the right thing even when no one else is.
I hope Coach Pressler’s story spreads new hope to all coaches who may have
to take a good look inside. Checking the ego-dip-stick may open old wounds, but
better to make some character adjustments and tap your gauge now, instead of
waiting for when your own feet hit the fire. I hope all those involved with
sports will take a deep heart-check and redefine their own wins. I sure am.
Look, no one wins every time. However, what you do or don’t do, and how
you react to certain situations should be a predetermined decision in your
life. It’s what you do during the feet-fires that set the true winners apart. I
may need a good foot-washin’ myself.
Redefining a win isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it involves the smallest of
things, checking the ego-dip-stick occasionally, and making appropriate
adjustments. We can all Champion Winners right where we are. Embrace the small
stuff, God is watching. We really do reap what we sow.
