Your Yes I Can Gold Gift Message
January 15th, 2008 at 6:18 am When Athletes Show Their True
Heart
-By Dave Cross
If you're a football fan, or just watch the news,
you probably have already seen the clip of
Terrell Owens getting emotional at the press
conference after the Cowboys loss on Sunday in
the NFL playoffs.
When I first saw it, I immediately thought,
"There's proof that pro athletes do really care."
Well, since then the media has jumped all over
T.O. Every report mentions him "crying". And,
of course, all the macho sportscasters and talk
show hosts, many who have never played a sport
since high school (if then) are criticizing him
big-time.
First of all, his voiced cracked a little-you
could easily tell his emotions were getting the
best of him, but he had sunglasses on-so just how
many "tears" actually were there? Was he
probably "misty"? No doubt.
Sure, T.O. has quite a controversial track
record-but let's just forget his past here for a
minute. Here was a grown man actually showing how
much he cares about the game he's playing and the
teammates he's playing it with. No ego. No
"public face". Just the emotions he was feeling
at the moment-it was real and genuine-not a
"show" by any stretch of the imagination.
Maybe T.O should've have refused to go the
podium-he knew how upset he was. But, then of
course, they would have criticized him for that,
too.
T.O. may act like a total jerk many times-but
there's a guy that wants to win-and cares about
his teammates. And don't forget who brought him
to Dallas: Bill Parcells-who is considered one of
the all-time great minds of the NFL.
Now, time to apply this to the game we love:
I could always gauge how much my players truly
cared when we finally experienced the final
season ending defeat. Now, it's certainly true
that we all handle these situations in our own
way-and yes, there's a heck of a difference
between a high school girl and a professional
football player emotionally, but "dry-eyes" in
those times definitely told me something. I've
coached some real "hard-nuts" over the years,
but that last locker room together with their
team always softened the shell.
Look, if it's truly "in your heart", then
that's going to come out-you just can't stop it.
You know, I once heard a junior high coach
chastize his players because they were "tearing
up" after losing the final tournament
championship game. He actually told them-"we're
volleyball players, we don't cry". Oh, for
crying out loud!! They're also adolescent young
ladies! You know what it told me? Those kids loved
what they were doing-and they didn't want it to
be over! They were the kind of players I would
want in my program.
In that situation, get them in the locker room,
let them get it out, then calm them down and
remind them of all the improvement they made
during the season, and how proud you are of how
hard they worked.
So, coaches, I guess there are actually two points
to this article:
1. Find players who have it "in their
heart"-they will work their tails off and do
everything they can to be the best they can be.
Watch how the young ones handle the end of their
season-not a loss during the year-that's
different-no reason to cry there. Those
"Dry-Eyes" will tell you they were ready for it
to end anyways-are those the kids that are going
to take the team the farthest in the future? No
way-it's not in their heart.
2. Guard yourself and your athletes when dealing
with the media. You never know when you'll be
interviewed by that over-ambitious one who's
trying to write such a sensational piece that
they are fielding calls in the week after from all
the big city papers-looking to bring them on
board. There was one local reporter I wouldn't
give anything but "coach-speak". And I never
asked her to keep anything "off the
record"-because I knew that would be her
headline! (She got me once-just once!!) :)
-Dave Cross
National Director
Yes I Can Volleyball
-By Dave Cross
If you're a football fan, or just watch the news,
you probably have already seen the clip of
Terrell Owens getting emotional at the press
conference after the Cowboys loss on Sunday in
the NFL playoffs.
When I first saw it, I immediately thought,
"There's proof that pro athletes do really care."
Well, since then the media has jumped all over
T.O. Every report mentions him "crying". And,
of course, all the macho sportscasters and talk
show hosts, many who have never played a sport
since high school (if then) are criticizing him
big-time.
First of all, his voiced cracked a little-you
could easily tell his emotions were getting the
best of him, but he had sunglasses on-so just how
many "tears" actually were there? Was he
probably "misty"? No doubt.
Sure, T.O. has quite a controversial track
record-but let's just forget his past here for a
minute. Here was a grown man actually showing how
much he cares about the game he's playing and the
teammates he's playing it with. No ego. No
"public face". Just the emotions he was feeling
at the moment-it was real and genuine-not a
"show" by any stretch of the imagination.
Maybe T.O should've have refused to go the
podium-he knew how upset he was. But, then of
course, they would have criticized him for that,
too.
T.O. may act like a total jerk many times-but
there's a guy that wants to win-and cares about
his teammates. And don't forget who brought him
to Dallas: Bill Parcells-who is considered one of
the all-time great minds of the NFL.
Now, time to apply this to the game we love:
I could always gauge how much my players truly
cared when we finally experienced the final
season ending defeat. Now, it's certainly true
that we all handle these situations in our own
way-and yes, there's a heck of a difference
between a high school girl and a professional
football player emotionally, but "dry-eyes" in
those times definitely told me something. I've
coached some real "hard-nuts" over the years,
but that last locker room together with their
team always softened the shell.
Look, if it's truly "in your heart", then
that's going to come out-you just can't stop it.
You know, I once heard a junior high coach
chastize his players because they were "tearing
up" after losing the final tournament
championship game. He actually told them-"we're
volleyball players, we don't cry". Oh, for
crying out loud!! They're also adolescent young
ladies! You know what it told me? Those kids loved
what they were doing-and they didn't want it to
be over! They were the kind of players I would
want in my program.
In that situation, get them in the locker room,
let them get it out, then calm them down and
remind them of all the improvement they made
during the season, and how proud you are of how
hard they worked.
So, coaches, I guess there are actually two points
to this article:
1. Find players who have it "in their
heart"-they will work their tails off and do
everything they can to be the best they can be.
Watch how the young ones handle the end of their
season-not a loss during the year-that's
different-no reason to cry there. Those
"Dry-Eyes" will tell you they were ready for it
to end anyways-are those the kids that are going
to take the team the farthest in the future? No
way-it's not in their heart.
2. Guard yourself and your athletes when dealing
with the media. You never know when you'll be
interviewed by that over-ambitious one who's
trying to write such a sensational piece that
they are fielding calls in the week after from all
the big city papers-looking to bring them on
board. There was one local reporter I wouldn't
give anything but "coach-speak". And I never
asked her to keep anything "off the
record"-because I knew that would be her
headline! (She got me once-just once!!) :)
-Dave Cross
National Director
Yes I Can Volleyball