“We are the champions!” So sang the rock group known as “Queen”. Well, here it is Championship Monday; and someone will be able to claim that before this night is over. As I type this, Alabama and Clemson are slugging it out for the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy. And to every true football fan’s delight, this game is certainly living up to its billing. So far, in the first half at least, it is a real barn-burner!
Of course, we southerners are quite passionate about our football. (I’ve blogged about this matter before. See for instance, MASTERING THE GAME, 01/28/2013.)
Unfortunately for me, being a Georgia Bulldogs fan whose season is already over, my own passion has been dimmed somewhat. But hey, even though we lost the Sugar Bowl to Texas, we did garner 11 wins. Thus, my new mantra is “Wait till next year!” This year, we won the SEC East; maybe next year, we’ll win the SEC itself! And from there, who knows? There's always next year!
Of course, it did not help any that before my team lost their bowl game to Texas, they also lost the SEC title game to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Nor did it help that my uncle lives in Texas! Nor that my two sisters and their families all live in Alabama! Nor does it help that I have several friends who all graduated from Clemson! Rest assured that all of these entities have, each in turn, subtly reminded me that their own respective seasons did not end on January 1, 2019 with a loss!
Oh well, at least I can take solace in knowing that no matter how tonight turns out, I will be able to even the proverbial score against at least one of the offending parties above! Somebody’s gonna lose tonight; and when they do, boy oh boy, are they’re gonna hear about it from me!
All that being said, and perhaps to alleviate some of the tension surrounding tonight’s big game, I thought I would just take the opportunity to post a little football humor tonight. Enjoy…
It seems that, during the Super Bowl, there was another football game of note unfolding between the big animals and the little animals. Not surprisingly, the big animals were soon crushing the little animals. Thus it was that the coach of the little animals made an impassioned speech at half-time to rally his team.
It just so happened that the big animals got the ball first at the start of the second half. On the first play, however, the strongest animal, the elephant, got stopped cold for no gain. On the second play, the toughest animal, the rhinoceros, was also stopped for no gain. And then, on third down, the heaviest animal, the hippopotamus, was even thrown for a five yard loss!
To, everyone’s amazement, the big animals were forced to punt!Over on the sidelines, as the defense huddled around the little animals’ coach, he asked excitedly, "Who stopped that elephant?" "I did" said the centipede. "Who stopped the rhino?" "Uh, that was me too," said the centipede. "And how about the hippo? Who hit him for a five yard loss?" "Well, that was me as well," said the centipede.
"SO, WHERE WERE YOU THE FIRST HALF?!" demanded the coach. "Well…" said the centipede, "I was having my ankles taped."
Seriously, football is a great game! But unlike individual sports such as tennis or golf, football is a team sport. As such, it requires each of the twenty-two players on the field doing their part, each playing their position, and each using whatever skills they have to make an impact and contribute to the overall success of the team!
Of course, great big linemen are typically quite strong, but not very fast. Much lighter backs are usually fleet of foot, but not necessarily as robust as others. Still others are good at ball handling, or at punting, or at place-kicking. By definition, therefore, a championship team is first and foremost just that: a team!
This all reminds us of a basic principle in life. As John Donne said, “No man is an island unto himself.” The vast majority of us do the things we do in life in concert with others. Some of us play as a part of a team. But whether we are involved in sports or not, we typically live as part of a family, work as a part of a company, and worship as a part of a church. And we absolutely function as part of a community!
As social beings, therefore, it behooves us to learn to work in conjunction with others. We do this best when we recognize what our own skillset is, and employ it for the good of others. But we also need to accept the fact that others may be better than we are at certain things. And in so doing, learn to depend upon them even as we demonstrate to them that that they can confidently depend upon us to do our part.
I assure you that learning to live this way will make us much more than the annual champion of some particular league in some particular sport; it will make us champions in life!
SOURCE: http://www.jokesabout.net/football-animal-superbowl.
NOTE: The Bible has much to say about teamwork. For instance:
"For the body is not one member, but many." (1 Corinthians 12:14)
"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor." (Ecclesiastes 4:9)
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." (Ephesians 4:11)
"Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." (Proverbs 27:17)
"We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth." (3 John 1:8)
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
SEE ALSO: http://teamworkdefinition.com/quotesfromthebible/.
Of course, we southerners are quite passionate about our football. (I’ve blogged about this matter before. See for instance, MASTERING THE GAME, 01/28/2013.)
Unfortunately for me, being a Georgia Bulldogs fan whose season is already over, my own passion has been dimmed somewhat. But hey, even though we lost the Sugar Bowl to Texas, we did garner 11 wins. Thus, my new mantra is “Wait till next year!” This year, we won the SEC East; maybe next year, we’ll win the SEC itself! And from there, who knows? There's always next year!
Of course, it did not help any that before my team lost their bowl game to Texas, they also lost the SEC title game to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Nor did it help that my uncle lives in Texas! Nor that my two sisters and their families all live in Alabama! Nor does it help that I have several friends who all graduated from Clemson! Rest assured that all of these entities have, each in turn, subtly reminded me that their own respective seasons did not end on January 1, 2019 with a loss!
Oh well, at least I can take solace in knowing that no matter how tonight turns out, I will be able to even the proverbial score against at least one of the offending parties above! Somebody’s gonna lose tonight; and when they do, boy oh boy, are they’re gonna hear about it from me!
All that being said, and perhaps to alleviate some of the tension surrounding tonight’s big game, I thought I would just take the opportunity to post a little football humor tonight. Enjoy…
It seems that, during the Super Bowl, there was another football game of note unfolding between the big animals and the little animals. Not surprisingly, the big animals were soon crushing the little animals. Thus it was that the coach of the little animals made an impassioned speech at half-time to rally his team.
It just so happened that the big animals got the ball first at the start of the second half. On the first play, however, the strongest animal, the elephant, got stopped cold for no gain. On the second play, the toughest animal, the rhinoceros, was also stopped for no gain. And then, on third down, the heaviest animal, the hippopotamus, was even thrown for a five yard loss!
To, everyone’s amazement, the big animals were forced to punt!Over on the sidelines, as the defense huddled around the little animals’ coach, he asked excitedly, "Who stopped that elephant?" "I did" said the centipede. "Who stopped the rhino?" "Uh, that was me too," said the centipede. "And how about the hippo? Who hit him for a five yard loss?" "Well, that was me as well," said the centipede.
"SO, WHERE WERE YOU THE FIRST HALF?!" demanded the coach. "Well…" said the centipede, "I was having my ankles taped."
Seriously, football is a great game! But unlike individual sports such as tennis or golf, football is a team sport. As such, it requires each of the twenty-two players on the field doing their part, each playing their position, and each using whatever skills they have to make an impact and contribute to the overall success of the team!
Of course, great big linemen are typically quite strong, but not very fast. Much lighter backs are usually fleet of foot, but not necessarily as robust as others. Still others are good at ball handling, or at punting, or at place-kicking. By definition, therefore, a championship team is first and foremost just that: a team!
This all reminds us of a basic principle in life. As John Donne said, “No man is an island unto himself.” The vast majority of us do the things we do in life in concert with others. Some of us play as a part of a team. But whether we are involved in sports or not, we typically live as part of a family, work as a part of a company, and worship as a part of a church. And we absolutely function as part of a community!
As social beings, therefore, it behooves us to learn to work in conjunction with others. We do this best when we recognize what our own skillset is, and employ it for the good of others. But we also need to accept the fact that others may be better than we are at certain things. And in so doing, learn to depend upon them even as we demonstrate to them that that they can confidently depend upon us to do our part.
I assure you that learning to live this way will make us much more than the annual champion of some particular league in some particular sport; it will make us champions in life!
SOURCE: http://www.jokesabout.net/football-animal-superbowl.
NOTE: The Bible has much to say about teamwork. For instance:
"For the body is not one member, but many." (1 Corinthians 12:14)
"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor." (Ecclesiastes 4:9)
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." (Ephesians 4:11)
"Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." (Proverbs 27:17)
"We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth." (3 John 1:8)
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
SEE ALSO: http://teamworkdefinition.com/quotesfromthebible/.