Sports are so incredible for the life lessons they teach. They are metaphors for the “real world”…in so many ways.
It’s beautiful when ppl show their true hearts, & even in their pain, where it would be easy vent & to blame others: (who might even be directly responsible for that pain), instead come out in full support. They put their pain aside to comfort someone else who might be hurting.
If you didn’t watch the AFC Championship game on Sunday, here’s (briefly) a summary of what happened at the end: Playing in frigid conditions where kicks from long distances were extremely hard…the Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, in a tie game, w only seconds left, scrambled right for a sizeable gain. The Bengals Joseph Ossai ultimately made the defensive play stop, forcing Mahomes to the sidelines, but in doing so, made the costly error of hitting him late out of bounds. The Chiefs gained 15 yds on the penalty & were then close enough to make the kick to end the game, winning by 3, & heading to the Super Bowl.
Before the penalty, Ossai was having a good game: 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 QB hits, 1 pass defended, 3 QB pressures & a run stuff.
This man played his HEART out…& yet on one play, where HE forced the QB out of bounds, he made the mental error of a late hit. You felt for the guy. After the game he was on the bench, inconsolable.
Yet in the locker room, Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill stood guard next to Ossai (this pic) as reporters asked Ossai the hard questions.
And it wasn’t just Novak. There was support from virtually the whole team: “We don’t lose that game bc of one play.” Players communicated that. Even their head coach did ➡️.
Imagine a world where this was the norm? Where errors, even on BIG stages…even that cost others their dreams – we didn’t point the finger in blame, single folks out & say: you did that.
Life plays out as a series of events from many ppl working together in their roles. It’s not just “the last play” that determines the outcome. It’s all the ppl (see Andy Reid’s quote➡️) & all the plays, together. We can be more compassionate to one another. Imagine what that would do for MH!
