Green Bay Head Coach Essay Example for Free

Green Bay Head Coach Essay In the famous educational video about football in the NFL called The Winning Edge, Green Bay Head Coach Vince Lombardi, gave his famous saying: â€Å"Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. †(Lombardi, 1967) Lombardi would later go to say that this was the biggest mistake of his life. He wished to say that the attempt to win is what really counts; the hard work and effort that propels one to accept only the best from himself is what really counted. This is what I would stress to my little league teams as a coach and thus, an important role model for young boys as they try to discover themselves and how what morals and values they will accept and which they will reject. Millions of young kids play organized sports in this country and only a handful each year are allowed to reach the heights within that sport that would allow them to get paid for their efforts in the professional game. For the other 99% sports will end for them at a time when they are just coming into adulthood. And if that individual has not fully grasped the concept of fair play, sportsmanship and a hard work ethic, they will most likely be lost to a life of underachievement and sloth. Aristotle said† I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self. (Metcalf, 1999) As a little league coach, I would stress that winning is an important aspect of the game and than in winning, the game becomes more fun. I would not so idealistic to say that winning was of no consequence and that as long as one tried their hardest, that was all that was expected. That is true to some degree but for the older boys, such an ideology would serve as an impediment to their success in life. If one first envisions that he will succeed at a task, then the hard work will come naturally and that the ends don’t always justify the means. Winning at all costs for a young boy does nothing but stunt his emotional and mental growth. Fathers who try to live their dreams through their children serve as an unmistakable impediment for themselves, their sons and for the game as a whole. This is also true with regard to coaches. Babe Ruth starts at the age of thirteen so as a little league coach, I would be molding the minds of children possibly under the age of ten. Cutthroat tactics at such a young age could forever warp their sense of morals and worth ethic for the rest of their lives. For the vast majority of children who grow up playing organized sports, their careers will end at the time when the law regards them as adults and thus, their actions must resemble that definition. For the naturally gifted player whose glory on the field has come easily to him, all too often will elude him in real life situations. And without a strong work ethic behind him, it is unlikely that he will be able to shake off his upbringing which is now serving him as an impediment to his success in other areas of his life. A person who expects victory to come easily or to come through cheating, will be more likely to apply the same logic when it comes to earning a living or succeeding academically in college or in the workplace. Cheating in little league might cause the offender to be suspended for a game. In the real world, cheating can lead to expulsion from the university or even prison. The lessons that ten year old boys, many of them growing up without a father and who are desperately searching for a male role model, will listen intensely at what a coach has to say and will be greatly affected by the lessons that he learns on the field.