It's the Hope That Kills You

It's the fourth quarter of 2020. Let's hope we are playing the Falcons.

Oct 09, 2020

[Image Description] confetti flies through the air; a wide shot of the football field after Super Bowl LI by Brian Allen/Voice of America - Public Domain

Hey Y’all

It’s still a sensitive topic for any Georgian.

By the third quarter of Super Bowl LI, Atlanta Falcons fans still had hope. The Dirty Birds were up by 20 points going into the fourth quarter. How could the Patriots rebound from that large of a deficit?

In what has been described as the most incredible comeback in Super Bowl history, Tom Brady led the Patriots to tie the game in the last minutes of the quarter and push it into overtime.

If you are an NFL fan, you know what happened next.

[GIF Description] Tom Brady, QB of the New England Patriots, hoists the Vince Lombardi trophy after winning Super Bowl LI

Why Coaching Is So Important

Can we attribute the Patriots’ unbelievable comeback to Tom Brady and his football cohorts' natural ability? Sure. Partially.

I would say a factor in this equation is the Patriots’ coach, Bill Belichick.

[GIF Description] Bill Belichick, smiling into the camera

Coaching is important! Not only for the day to day operations of a team but in inspiration, vision casting, and mentorship.

The superintendent of the school district in Georgia that I worked with for over a decade had a saying. "There are two types of employees that work for a school district; those that teach, and those that support those who teach." I love how simply this breaks down the roles in education.

To put it another way, teachers are the players, and everyone else is there to support the players.

As 2020 has ravaged all of us who work in education, we need to remember that it is not just about showing up to play. We need our leaders (school district and government) to support the teachers who are putting it all out on the line every day to educate students (especially those who work in public education).

Families are leaving public schools in droves. Now is not the time to give up on those who need the most support. Before the pandemic shut schools down across the nation and the world, equity was a worrisome issue. As we near the end of 2020, equity has become an emergency.

Do You Believe in Miracles?

My wife and I recently finished watching the first season of Ted Lasso, an Apple TV+ original series.

In this series, Jason Sudeikis (SNL) plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer.

We immediately fell in love with this character, mostly because of his unflappable nature. But also because he is such a darn good coach.

Here is an excerpt from a speech Ted gives the AFC Richmond Greyhounds on their last match of the season (a do or die type of situation).

So I’ve been hearing the phrase that y’all got over here that I’m not too crazy about.
“It’s the hope that kills you.”
Y’all know that?
I disagree, ya know?
I think it’s the lack of hope that comes to get you.
See, I believe in hope.
I believe in belief.
Now, where I’m from, we got a saying too. A question actually.
“Do you believe in miracles?”

Y’all. If we ever needed a miracle. It is right now.

So if you believe in miracles, I want you to just hit that reply button and send me a message that you believe.

It’s the fourth quarter of 2020, we are down by 20 points, and everything is against us. Let’s finish well.

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