;)
All hope seemed lost for a high school football team whose important game of the season was not going in their favor in the biographical sports drama “Remember the Titans” starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton.
Not only were they down in points, one of their own players even walked off of the field, abandoning them at a crucial moment. Officials showed these teenagers no mercy either, calling penalties left and right, yet, overlooking fouls from the opposing team. Coach Bill Yoast (played by Patton) had another plan in store – one that would change the morale among his team as well as the direction of this game. Here is how he led them out of the hole they found themselves in…
“Now, I don’t want them to gain another yard. You blitz all night! If they cross the line of scrimmage, I’m gonna take every last one of you out. You make sure that they remember FOREVER, the night they played the Titans!”
For those of you who have seen the movie, you know this is the moment where Coach Yoast is not screwing around; he means business and is willing to go the distance in making sure that his team has a fair shot at winning the game. His new plays are set up to survive in the environment that they found themselves in, possibly beating the opposing team at their own brutal and seemingly fixed game. At this point, it isn’t just about winning; it’s about respect, taking back their freedom of not having to play by someone else’s narrow-minded rules and most importantly – it’s about standing tall against all odds until the time clock reaches zero.
;)
Coach Yoast’s way of thinking when he said those above lines is exactly how we need to approach some of the offenses that we meet out on the field of life.
You’ll always get tackled and trampled over if you don’t beef up your defense and give the opposing situation all you’ve got – no matter how bigger, smarter, more powerful or more resourceful, etc. that condition or person or place is, in comparison.
It’s not about accepting defeat, it’s about doing your best at making it difficult for an opponent to bring you down and wipe you out. Maybe you’ll win, maybe you’ll lose, but one thing is for sure if the latter applies – your challenger shouldn’t have an easy ride to victory.
That’s how legends – no scratch that – TITANS are made. The people we remember and those who inspire us are the ones who do the unthinkable, achieve the impossible, go above and beyond their abilities or potential at times when they are far from the lead. They are the individuals, groups, partners and teams taking the kind of risks that naysayers unexpected or even refuse to acknowledge because they’re too busy gossiping or being miserable or contributing to the problems of the world, rather than the solutions of the world.
How memorable are you? What have you contributed to your existence on this earth so far? What can you do from here on out to make sure that the people you come in contact with – and possibly even those who you may never come in contact with -- will not forget you?
Who are the Titans that you will remember forever and what makes them a champion?
What do you want to be remembered for when this game is all over?