Winning The Title: On and Off The Court

                              

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks for their Championship title. It was a great series with plenty of suspense, uncertainties, and very big plays. In watching this entire series two words continue to come to mind: perseverance and sportsmanship.

Both are pertinent qualities on the court, but they have just as much meaning off the court. Neither team just showed up at the finals. Both teams had to persevere through personal and athletic setbacks and triumphs. Playing through fevers, media stories, and just the pressure of playing on the big stage could all be issues that would make some people give up. The players on both teams pushed through it all and never looked back; in fact it was evident on the court that they used it as fuel to keep going. We all will experience setbacks but its how you use those setbacks to keep going that’s ultimately important. If you never give up on trying then ultimately you will succeed.

While dealing with these setbacks, you are going to have some small defeats. Sportsmanship is more than just being able to shake someone’s hand after the game. It’s respecting your opponent’s abilities and skills. Those who have high levels of sportsmanship not only respect their opponents, in time of defeat or victory, they do what they can to learn from them. If your opponent has caused you to come up short, look at it as a challenge. Learn their skills, find out how they were able to come up victorious, and then use that to strengthen your game. Again, this isn’t just a court lesson, this is a life lesson.