Had an interesting conversation with my Mom the other day about rooting…
We were watching the UCLA/Michigan NCAA Super Regional when a UCLA player lifted a fly ball down the left field line in the top of the 9th inning and my Mom immediately screamed:
“MISS IT, MISS IT, MISS IT.”
Sure as shit… He f*cking MISSED IT.
After a celebration took place around the room, I told my Mom that as much as I love her and appreciate her passion for UCLA baseball, I felt it was OVER THE TOP and unacceptable to root for a player on the other team to fail…
Mom responded by saying that baseball is a game of failure and the players that fail can gain great value from their failures… She then continued to say that’s the message I champion in The F*IT List and that is what I constantly hammer home in the Daily Hustle…
Damn. Both GREAT POINTS…
Yet, I also like to focus on controlling what is within OUR control and letting go of what is not…
For instance, as competitors, of course we want to win the game and so we take necessary measures available to do so… We work hard, play hard and make a commitment to the process of execution.
If our competition fails, it’s up to us to take advantage of their failures but by no means did I ever openly root for somebody to miss a ball…
Never mind…. Of course I did but I was a f*cking SAVAGE back then & wanted to win at all costs. I like to think I have matured in my post-baseball endurance sports, broadcasting, stoic philosophy studying years…
Look, of course I still like to compete but this is how I explained it to my Mom, who is an avid tennis fan… “What if you were playing in the finals of Wimbledon and you and your opponent play the most incredible match that comes down to the final tiebreaker and then your opponent double faults every point of the tie breaker to GIVE you the win???”
Will you take it… Sure.
Is it ideal… NO.
I want to WIN but I also prepare to beat my opponent at their BEST.
Sometimes in sports and life we will be handed a gift and we should be incredibly thankful for that gift, but by no means should we ever expect a gift or even so much as root for one because whether or not we receive that gift is completely outside of our control.
I also believe that when it comes to rooting for success of an individual or a team, our energy is much better served throwing out POSITIVITY & LOVE as opposed to PESSIMISM & HATE.
To my Mom’s defense, she claims her rooting for the kid to drop the ball has nothing to do with hate, and if you have ever met Judy, you know she is telling the truth… Although her perspective seems a bit aggressive to me, I will respect her position based on her 70+ years of life experience.
As far as I am concerned, I will never root for my opponent to involuntary puke all over themselves… Not because I don’t want to win but because I prefer to beat the puke out of them myself.
Bottom line we should all be able to agree upon:
Always expect the absolute best from our opponents, and on those rare and lucky days when we are handed a gift, open the present then show a HUMBLE GRATITUDE for the gift we have received.
-EB