Sports & Athletics

Get involved in athletics while in school. Not only does it build leadership but it also refines your teamwork skills and brews a desire to win. After all, business is about winning whether we wish to admit it or not.

Play To Win

Psychologists at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio conducted a study that aimed to explain the behavior of sports stars. They found that people who see themselves as superior to others may only perform well in competition if they know there is a good chance of gaining glory for themselves. In other words, the findings suggest that in situations where such people have the opportunity to outshine others and obtain self-gratification, they respond very well and their performance levels increase. But if there is little or no chance of winning, they perform poorly.

"Narcissists may outperform others when there is a good opportunity to garner the admiration of others," said researcher Dr. Roy Baumeister. "In contrast, when little is at stake, narcissists may withdraw effort and perform worse than others."

Suffice to say, this is the opposite of what you should do. In life, if you only strive to win and excel if there is a material gain at stake, you become complacent, greedy and apathetic. In fact, you become a donkey who is searching for the proverbial carrot to move his butt.

Former Florida Gators coach Steve Spurrier said it best. When he announced his retirement from the University of Florida Gators in 2002, he left on his own terms and offered the gathering of newspaper reporters the usual mix of tall tales, quick-witted one-liners and the usual Spurrier swagger.

He conceded that his critics were probably expecting him to ''cry because that is all those Florida State University Seminoles say'' he does. But Spurrier was anything but a crybaby by most standards. He took a team that was going nowhere and made it an instant winner after coaching Duke for three years. The Heisman Trophy winner in 1966, Spurrier was considered arrogant and cocky. He was known for running up the score and speaking his outspoken mind when he should not have.

Hate To Lose

But speak his mind he did upon his resignation: "You can call me arrogant, cocky, crybaby, whiner or whatever names you like, as long as you do not call me a 'loser'.'' This was one of his more popular sayings, and it perfectly explained how the former Heisman Trophy winner turned things around.

Think Original

It also showed that winning means you have to be original and unconventional. In sports, they say that defense wins Championships. In business, it takes offense. Spurrier was all about unconventional offense schemes. He perfected electrifying double reverses, the questionable punting on 3rd downs and the crazy Emory & Henry formation in his ''Fun 'N' Gun'' offense.

It definitely was not traditional play calling but Spurrier wrote his own textbook, as should you. Spurrier made the Gator play book an exciting one in a world of boring copycats and unoriginal coaching.

If you remember anything Spurrier said, it should be this: ''if people like you too much, it's probably because they're beating you.''

You're An Athlete And A Scholar

Another reason why athletics should be at the forefront of your mind is that it can help you earn a scholarship to help offset the sky-high cost of education. Athletic programs offer extensive scholarships to promising high schoolers, but even if you missed the boat then, it is never too late. Some of the most successful stories are about ''walk-ons,'' so to speak.

Contacts

Win or lose, you can get a good sense of someone's drive to win, their level of intensity and their work ethic by how they perform in sports. Such trials and tribulations also make for good introductions down the road when you are on either side of the recruiting process.