When I tell people that Sports is something that can be Life Changing some fail to realize the angle that I am coming from. One of the greatest thing that can blind you to the power of Sports is if you see it as just entertainment.
Something that you use to cool off in the weekend after a hard week of works. Sports is something that can better you Life and I am not just talking about blogging about it and earning on Scorum or any other platform that pays for activity.
Now before Platforms like this , the average man on the street who does not play Sports does not have a way to earn from their Passion for Sports they will have to be Involved in one Sports business or they may just resort to playing bets.
However this post is not about earning through any way you chose to participate in Sports. This post is about personal developement.
And one of the Films that have shown me the transformational power of Sports is Coach Carter. Though it is an Old Movie (2005). It is one of those Movies that I would love my children to see.
They are a lot of failed homes these days and most times the Youth may end up getting the ammunition they need to survive life in the most unlikely places. Now for the students on the Richmond School Basketball Team, school was a place of escape, a place where they go to ease the pain of the limitation that were visible all around them.
Sports is a major builder of discipline. Basketball players are one of the Sports people who go through a lot of rigorous training. It is a sport where constant movement on the court is required so you will have a lot of running to do.
Discipiline in one area of your Life helps you build discipline in other areas too.
And the Coach Carter also gives a message of Hope. Hope which lets anyone know that your background does not place a limitation on what you can achieve in Life. Below is a quote stated by Timo Cruz one of the major characters in the Movie.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
This quote is also one of the few quotes that have inspired people worldwide, it has been used by great men like Nelson Mandela
If you have watched the movie then you would be surprised when Timo made this Statement. He was someone who previously had pride and temper issues. He had no respect for the Coach or his fellow Team mates. He previously believed that his star status automatically put him above others.
When Coach Carter took over the team and let him go due to his arrogance, he went back to the streets and started selling drugs with his Cousin Renny who sold drugs on the street. He came back to the team after a while but this did not come at little cost.
He was tasked with completing 1000 suicides and 2500 pushups in less than a week by Coach Carter, I expected him to leave after he was told that but he agreed to the task and came to training daily to do it. He later completed it with help from his team mates when they saw his sincerity.
A lot of skillful people has missed a great opportunities due to their lack of character. Skill is not enough, if you don't have character no one will commit great things into your hand, they know that you will not value it or that you will abuse it.
I know great footballers who failed to live up to expectations due to the fact that they lacked character.
Timo left the team again when they were tasked by the Coach to Improve in their academics. He believed that his skill in the court was all that he needed to make it through Life. He did not see the need to flex his Mental Strength.
However over the years I have heard of Sportsmen who lost all that they worked for due to their illitrecy. Some got duped after retirement as they looked for other Ventures to Invest their Money in.
Timo came back to the team after his brother was shot dead on the street right before his eyes. He no longer needed anyone to tell him that a life of crime will lead to destruction.
The Coach Carter Movie was based on a true life story and at the end of the movie we were shown the future lives of the Richmond players, most of them got scholarships and continued to do well in life and this was because of the values that they learnt not at home or Church but on the Basketball Gym.
This is also a call to everyone to use whatever position he/she has earned to change lives, the future of people depends on it.
I highly recommend you download the Coach Carter Movie and Watch it if you have not. You will learn a thing or two from the Movie.
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