How many times have we all heard the expression, “It’s only a game…” Although we’ve heard those lines over and over again, I often wonder whether anyone “really” hears them.. and “really” accepts the fact that it is, in fact, only a game… and an activity for children to get some exercise, learn about team play, develop work ethic, understand the importance of hard work, etc. and etc. and more etc.
As a longtime youth baseball coach, on both the recreation AND elite travel team levels, I innately knew…. and accepted the “It’s only a game…” positioning (and reality) and found myself constantly being reminded of that reality through the words and actions of my young baseball team players. For example, I’ll never forget giving a motivational “pep talk” to my East Cobb Tiger travel team just before playing in the Baseball Players of America (BPA) national championship in Cherokee, N.C. Here we were, a team that won about 50 regular season games and lost about 10 or so… and a team that was winning most of the high level tournaments we entered. And so, we found ourselves in Cherokee, NC getting ready to run out onto the field to compete for a national title.
In a highly focused, serious tone, I delivered the motivational messages to my team… and discussed our strategies in depth, as well as introduced them to the signals our coaches would use in that game… you know, signals for “take,” “bunt,” “steal,” “hit and run,” etc.
I was serious.
My coaching staff was serious.
We “thought” the boys were serious… and focused. And so, after 10 or 15 minutes of Coach B (me), I asked the team, “You guys got any questions?” I looked them each in the eyes and initially, no one had any questions until one of our players raised his hand and ask me, “Coach B… I have a question… what’s the snack?”
Taken totally by surprise with “What’s the snack?” at first I was in disbelief, you know, how is it possible that we’re about to play the most important game of our season and a player was seemingly more interested in the snack than the strategies and signals and pep talk message I just delivered? Then it dawned on me, as I had to laugh, this team of young boys was exactly that… a team of young boys. They were there for fun. They were there for fellowship. They were there for snacks. Why? Because it is, in reality, “only a game!”
And so we won the championship, had a great snack and enjoyed a wonderful experience and afternoon in the mountains of North Carolina… all of us a bit wiser than when we started out because we understood the concept of perspective.
Another of my favorite “bring the coaches back to reality…” moments reinforcing “It’s only a game…” came when my Oregon Park Dragons baseball team of 12 nine-year-olds ended its season somewhere around 50 wins and less than 5 losses. Our fantastic season was rewarded when we were invited to move our team to the prestigious, nationally acclaimed “East Cobb Baseball” program. After all, East Cobb has been in the top 1-3
travel and youth baseball development programs in the U.S. for decades (according to “Baseball News” magazine).
My coaches and I were proud, thrilled and excited. After all, East Cobb generated more professional baseball players than any youth travel baseball park in the country. We saw this as moving to “big time.” We would have pristine fields to play on vs. teams from all around the U.S. It was all very exciting… very exciting.
Talk about another “It’s only a game…” moment. Well, as we finished our first official practice at East Cobb, were sitting in the bleachers doing what I call a “team talk”… discussing practice, discussing work we needed to do to improve… etc.
I addressed my team and said, “Hey boys… great practice! I know you’re excited about being here at East Cobb. It’s an amazing complex with great fields and certainly the best national competition. So here’s my question… why are you so excited about playing baseball here?”
I expected someone to answer, “Hey Coach B… the scoreboards are major league…” I expected yet another player to answer, “Hey Coach, the fields are like big league baseball parks.”
I even expected another player to say, “Coach, big league baseball scouts from all around the country come here to find star players for college and pro programs…”
None of those statements came up. And quite frankly, I never expected to the players to have a consensus response to my question with an answer such as “Coach B… you know why we love it here at East Cobb? It’s simple. They sell ‘Dip n’ Dots’ in the concession stand and we love ‘Dip n’ Dots.’”
Needless to say, I was floored… but had to laugh, along with my assistant coaches because we adults learned again with reinforcement as to “why” the boys play the game. Yes, they loved baseball… and competition… but mostly just loved playing the game, having fun and obviously sprinting to the concession stand… win or lose… for their “Dip n’ Dots!’”
Yes, “It’s only a game!”
This wasn’t a baseball lesson. It was a life lesson. Put things in perspective. After all, a little bit of perspective, like a little bit of humor, goes a long way.
Augusta Press columnist and Acworth, GA. resident, Ira Blumenthal, is a business consultant, a best-selling author, a globally reknowned speaker, an educator and a youth Lacrosse coach. Learn more about Ira and his book, Your Best Is Next, at www.IraSpeak.com. Follow Ira on instagram @irajblumenthal. Look for Ira’s newest book on Amazon, Rundown: Safe at Home.
