It’s Not All Cliches
Being an old guy and writing on a site that is populated, predominately, by much younger people can be a challenge. It’s the same way at the office where one of my associates has actually taken to using post-it notes on her office wall to remember some of my sayings. I really don’t think it’s meant to be complimentary, but that’s another story.
I am a sports fan. The NFL is my favorite, but I also watch March Madness, the major Bowl Games, MLB and the NBA. A pet peeve is the post-game interview with the most valuable player, and I’m speaking more of the college game here. The sideline reporter tosses the player an easy question and what follows is an unmitigated disaster.
Is anyone from the player’s University watching? Do they not realize that the player’s response is a direct reflection of the education they are supposed to be receiving? It can’t be that difficult. Shouldn’t there be a mandatory course for all varsity athletes regardless of their chosen major?
Let’s take a page from one of the most important sports movies of all-time. And here’s where the age thing comes into play. The movie, Bull Durham was made over thirty years ago. If you haven’t seen it, you need to. The scene is, the aging minor league catcher, played by Kevin Costner, instructing the flame-throwing rookie pitcher, played by Tim Robbins, on how to handle the media in the big leagues:
Crash Davis: It’s time to work on your interviews.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do?
Crash Davis: You’re gonna have to learn your clichés. You’re gonna have to study them, you’re gonna have to know them. They’re your friends. Write this down: “We gotta play it one day at a time.”
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Got to play… it’s pretty boring.
Crash Davis: ‘Course it’s boring, that’s the point. Write it down.
See, it really isn’t that difficult, albeit a bit boring.
And so, when I heard several quotes, attributable to an article written by a recently traded Arizona Cardinal football player, on my favorite morning sports talk radio, Doug and Wolf, I was intrigued. This was a player who was dismissed from his college football team, LSU, due to breaking team rules. Probably not all that uncommon in the NCAA, but this dismissal was different. The dismissal took place after his consensus All-American sophomore season. He won an award as the best defensive player in college football and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. The article was written by Tyrann Mathieu, simply titled, “Thank You, Arizona”.
It is a beautifully written article, you can find it on The Players’ Tribune, where by the way, you will find other interesting and very well written articles by some of the most popular players in sport.
Mathieu, the Honey Badger, recounts his emotions on draft day, the disappointment of dropping to the third round, and then his elation at being selected by the Arizona Cardinals where he would be playing with an old college teammate and friend, Patrick Peterson.
I don’t want to spoil the article for you. But Mathieu weaves in emotion, his troubled past, the brotherhood he found in the Cardinal’s locker room, the strength he gained from those in the community both on and off the field.
He does a masterful job of recognizing his teammates, coaches, the fans and, ownership. He states what is obviously a very heartfelt “Thank you,” to Arizona and expresses his gratitude to the new team who signed him, the Houston Texans. The Texans are incredibly fortunate to have signed the Badger. And, I have another favorite team to watch next season.
I sincerely hope Tyrann’s article is read by university coaching staffs and faculty. Perhaps he should author a course on sideline interview curriculum.
