"Just Win Baby!"

The famous quote, “Just Win Baby” by the infamous Oakland Raiders (you can say Raydaahs if you want) deceased owner Al Davis is an often used mantra for sports teams. That’s exactly what both Coastal Carolina University and Wofford College did this week to earn births to the NCAA Men’s basketball championship called “The Big Dance.” For the smaller and mid-major colleges it is a great accomplishment to just get to the tournament and have the chance of slaying the basketball Goliaths like Duke, Syracuse, and Florida to name a few. I watched last night and listened on the radio as Wofford unexpectedly won it’s Southern Conference tournament and earned the birth to the Big Dance. It was exciting to see them compete as if their own lives depended on it. Here is a link to the celebration: http://athletics.wofford.edu/news/2014/3/10/MBB_0310141741.aspx Back to the mantra and gut check call “Just Win Baby.” Is that all that matters in life? I say no but winning sure does make the coach look good, make the fans feel good, and eventually lead to increased sales in team apparel and ESPN’s willingness to show a teams’ game on television. How about another mantra--“winning is contagious.” I agree that winning is contagious. For a great example take a look at the USC Lady Gamecocks who won the SEC championship outright this year. Coach Dawn Staley was a big fan of the Gamecocks as they won back to back national championships in baseball. She talked about winning the SEC about seven years ago when she was hired and the Lady G’s were at the bottom of the SEC in women’s basketball. That is no longer the case. The Lady G’s will probably be a number 2 seed in the NCAA Women’s championships and make a run for the championship. How a team wins and how a team plays is important. Do the ends justify the means, I.e. win at all costs? I say no. Instead boys and girls and then men and women are learning lessons of life on the fields of competition. I certainly learned many lessons as I played football, baseball, and wrestling. Losing taught me as much as winning. That is for sure. Yet, the adrenalin rush of winning can be downright intoxicating. Just ask the 34-0 undefeated Wichita State Shockers men’s basketball team. Winning produces winning. So, I say go ahead and use the mantra “Just Win Baby” if you need to do so. Sometimes winning is a matter of mental toughness and outright will. If that’s what we mean by “Just win,” then that may be a good thing. Learning mental toughness and emotional fortitude are good products of life for the fields of athletic competition and the fields of real life living. If you mean, “Just Win” at all costs without any regard to “the way” one wins then that approach is lacking. It’s lacking because it misses the necessary internal checks that guide our moral compasses as former and current athletes. Most people are fierce competitors and love winning. People like to win and people like their favorite teams to win. May the rallying cry, “Just Win Baby” be something that causes athletes, weekend warriors, and the over 50 crowd to give their best and to reach new heights in mental toughness and emotional strength. In my opinion, the mantra “Just Win” is best when it becomes rooted in morale courage, strength amidst adversity, and a chance to learn from losses in life. So, I say to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Wofford Terriers, and Lady Gamecocks, “Just Win Baby!”