“Tough love is a good thing, but you have to bring the love before you bring the tough.” – Betsy Butterick This past month, we were able to witness some incredible basketball in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The games were intense, competitive, played in front of huge crowds, and showcased some incredible…
We have all been there. A tough match. A difficult result. You feel terrible, and then you get the dreaded phone call or email: “I need to talk to you about the behavior of parents on the sideline today. They were yelling at the young referee, and coaching the kids on every play. There was…
Nine years ago, on Fathers Day 2016 I published a blog post called “Life Lessons from my Old School Sports Dad.” It is one of my most requested articles, and I love to reshare it every Fathers Day because the lessons have become even more important as my own children have grown up. This year,…
Your influence is never neutral so use it wisely, just like my mother Kathy O’Sullivan did.
I recently spent a few days with some NCAA Division I programs I have worked with the past couple of years. Both programs have been very successful on the field, winning conference championships and achieving high national rankings and recognition. Both programs also want to keep pushing to the next level, to compete for national…
Have you ever heard the parable of the starving baker? Once upon a time, there was a baker renowned for his delightful pastries and delicious breads who took great pride in feeding his community. As the town’s population grew, so did the demand for his baked goods. The baker, determined meet this need, started working harder. He started skipping his own meals.…
Legendary NFL coach John Madden was once asked about the importance of winning in professional football. His answer is one of my favorite quotes: “I’ve always said winning’s the great deodorant, and conversely, when you have a bad record, everything stinks, and everything starts to unravel, and everything falls apart.” I love this quote because…
(Jerry and John are so excited to announce the upcoming release of our new book The Champion Teammate: Timeless Lessons to Connect, Compete and Lead in Sports in Life. Throughout our lives, we will be part of many teams. From sports teams to community groups to our dining room table, our lives are filled with…
(Yesterday I had the opportunity to present to a group of orthopedics, physical therapists, athletic trainers and coaches on FOMO: Fear of Missing Out, and why I think it is driving early specialization, burnout and dropout for our young athletes. I figured it was a good excuse to share an old blog of ours on…
We have all seen it. I was recently watching a 12-year-old boys soccer game, and I saw it again. Like a deer in the headlights, the left defender on the blue team was seemingly stranded on the field and unsure where to go or what to do. He turned to one sideline, where his coach…