Day: September 6, 2025

I had trouble sleeping last night. It is a continuation of what I was saying yesterday about anticipation and anxiety and that feeling of the kids being in control of their lives but not being able to get there. Last night’s High School game was evidence of that. I went to bed thinking the kid got benched or hurt, because he disappeared from the field for the brief moment I was able to peak in on that game. I sped through a replay in order to get in position to write this blog. He didn’t get benched so much as found himself as part of a rotation. That is not a wonderful sign. It isn’t a sign I appreciate in the least, because it is a direct reflection of the energy I see on the field in drips and spurts. He isn’t always go go go, and that is what is going to hold him back from getting a college scholarship.

You cannot teach effort, heart, or desire.

These are intrinsic motivations. These are the things you must push yourself to accomplish. Without these things–without that hunger or endless capacity to bring it to the other guy, you are wasting your time. I see that in the College kid. I see that hunger for the competition. That individual–I am going to beat you–sense of stepping up to the challenge. I don’t see that ‘I am going to inflict my will upon you’ sense on this HS kid. I don’t know if it isn’t there or if I and all of his coaches have yet to find the right instrument to bring it out of him. So, that is my job this season. I need to figure out if he has that dog in him and how to bring it out.

Some Thoughts:

1. The college kid goes to war in a few hours. I’m excited to see him do his thing in front of 30K. Go Bears!

With football in full swing I ought to be happy. I’m stressed, I tell you. I love watching the boys out there and despise seeing them struggle in play and even lose games. The Tukee Bowl–the yearly high school rivalry, is on in the background. 28-34 with 10 minutes left to play. They’re down. They were down 24-0 at one point. It can be extremely nerve wracking to watch these boys go through this. I want to enjoy it fully, but there is always that level of risk of failure. Tomorrow will be the College game where that risk is even higher. It is alse hugely exciting. That is what makes excitement, is it not? This concept of something being at risk triggers a feeling tantamount to experiencing those same highs and lows from afar. It is why we watch sport. The closer you are to being involved in some capacity, the more likely the feeling is triggered.

That closenes scan come from familial relation, but it can also come from gambling, faith, or any number of connections. That is why sports are so entwined in our lives. We manage to find ways to care and care big.