In the last few weeks, I’ve been on the road more than I’ve been at home. So I was really looking forward to coming back to Nashville on Sunday and spending time resting. But in the spirit of full disclosure, I was also excited about watching the NFL conference championships.
I love pro football, especially at this time of year when it’s all coming down to the wire. And while my favorite game was my Niners playing the Giants, I wanted to discuss something that happened with the other game that day. As I sat down to watch the Patriots/Ravens game, I started thinking about the teamwork it takes to get to this level.
The best example for the Patriots came in the second quarter. That’s when Patriots running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis ran it in for a touchdown. To celebrate the score, Benjarvus jumped up and down and began pointing at a patch on his chest. It wasn’t a personal victory dance or even a “look-how-great-I-am” shuffle. Instead, it was in honor of Patriot owner Robert Kraft’s wife, who died just before the season began.
Each player wore Myra Kraft’s initials on their jersey to celebrate the woman who had been married to the team’s owner for nearly 50 years. They dedicated the season to her and had even given Kraft a painting of his wife for Christmas. Benjarvus and the team were honoring her the best way they knew how—with touchdowns.
On the other side of the field, teamwork shown just as brightly. For the Ravens, it happened at the end of the game. Actually … maybe even later. Kicker Billy Cundiff was being interviewed by a reporter from USA Today about the field goal he whiffed to lose the game. He didn’t give any excuses or blame his fellow players. Cundiff said he simply missed the kick. And the biggest disappointment for this seven-year veteran? “Letting my teammates down,” he said.
The late great football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” That certainly was the case on Sunday—only both teams won, no matter the score. And the same holds true for you. When your people come together, working toward the greater good, magic will happen and everyone wins. It doesn’t get better than that.
