“When you get into the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.” Have you ever heard this saying? If you’re a sports fan, you probably have (though you it’s rarely exemplified by any of the professional athletes you see on TV). Taken literally, it means that if you happen to find yourself playing football and happen to score a touchdown, you shouldn’t dance around like a fool who is seemingly surprised by his newfound success. Suggested protocol? Hi-five a teammate or two, sure, but then hand the ball right to the referee and get back to the bench and your job.
This adage obviously has its roots on the football gridiron, but since very few of us are going to be scoring touchdowns anytime soon, let’s focus on the deeper meaning. “Act like you’ve been there before” is a reminder that personal success should be expected – not come a surprise to you or to anyone else. Why is it expected? Because you’ve worked your tail off to get there! It’s also a call for humility, recognizing that you are where you are due to, in large part, the efforts of your entire team. And I’d say that these two personality traits – humility and hard work (with the confidence & expectation that it will lead to success) – are two critically important qualities to have, whether you’re an athlete or a PR practitioner. And if you disagree, ask yourself – would you really want to have a desk next to someone like DeSean Jackson?
Back to professional athletes for a minute. Recently, soccer fans had a rare opportunity to witness the “act like you’ve been there before” adage unfold before their eyes. Tim Howard, of Team USA World Cup fame, was tending goal for Everton, his English Premier League team, two nights ago during a home game. Standing just in front of his own net, Howard fielded a ball and let fly with a booming clearing kick. Partly due to a sudden and intensely high wind, the kicked ball flew through the air for a full 70 yards, to the opposite end of the field. It took one bounce, clear over the head of the opposing goaltender, and inexplicitly found its way into the back of the net. Goal, Tim Howard, from 90+ yards out.
The Week (and Murdoch) Unplugged
The 2011 U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team quarterfinal World Cup match-up against Brazil was a bare-knuckled display of survival of the fittest. Even those not typically fans of soccer couldn’t help but become engaged and enthralled by the courage, tenacity and passion of these women. After some seriously unwarranted calls against the team, most might’ve given up in a fit of fury. However, despite the unfair advantage given to Brazil, the Americans persisted and won the most well-earned match up I’ve ever seen. The odds were completely stacked against the U.S.—not only were they blatantly robbed of their lead with a penalty re-kick on top of an already shady slew of calls, but the Americans battled the rest of regulation time equipped with only 10 players against Brazil’s 11. Man-down under the blistering sun, the U.S. women confronted Brazil’s very physical team with the sweetest revenge—a beautiful hard-earned goal during the 122nd minute of injury overtime, which sent both teams into penalty kicks.
