Smiling Over: Sports

Welcome to the new series titled “Smiling Over”. This series will focus on current events that promote confidence and give people reason to smile. The first topic that comes to my mind is sports. Playing sports can be a real source of confidence for everyone involved. Although winning can seem like theonly aspect of sports, the lessons that you can take away from a loss may be just as important to your growth. Failure is a part of sports that can build character and help people to self reflect on their performance. It is not just relevant in sports but also in our everyday lives. We may come face to face with failure when we get rejected from our dream internship or job. We must find ways to cope with losing/failure in a healthy manor.

I know that from my own experiences playing volleyball, I felt that I always had to perform to perfection. The pressure we face from coaches, parents and even peers can be crippling at times. You do not have to live up to anyones else’s expectations except your own. Coming to terms with this helped me to let go and have more fun playing the sport I love. It is important to do things for yourself and no one else. Remember that we cannot be perfect and failure is what helps us to learn and grow. Never let failure or a loss wipe the smile from your face. There is always something to be smiling about whether you won the game or not. Some of the most well known professional athletes have to deal with failure. Most recently, 2 professional football teams experienced a devastating loss when their chances of going to the Super Bowl fell through the cracks.

On January 22 four teams faced off in their conference championships. It was the Atlanta Falcons against the Green Bay Packers and the Patriots versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both games had been hyped up for so long because it was the best teams in the league fighting for a chance to show off their stuff at the Super Bowl. The games seemed to be a let down because they were won by a landslide. The patriots defeated the Steelers 17 to 36 and the Falcons blew the Packers out of the water with a 23 point win over the Packers. The  Packers and the Steelers fought until the last second of the game and at no point let the fear of losing get in the way of enjoying the sport they love! Instead of being upset about the loss, they recognized how far they had come from the beginning of the season.

In an interview with ESPN, Aaron Rodgers shared his thoughts on the conference loss. “I’m my biggest critic, and I look at this as finely as I look at every other game and improve.” He seemed to still have a positive outlook on the situation and even admits that he will watch the game and make improvements. Ben Roethlisberger had a similar outlook after the loss in his interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stating”Hopefully, this is a learning game for guys to understand this isn’t promised to anybody. Tomorrow isn’t promised.” He came away with a lesson at the end of it and acknowledged it as a learning experience for his team.  All the teams involved have something  to smile bright over.

The quarterbacks for all the teams flashed their big bright smiles after their conference wins/losses. Share with us your favorite Super Bowl moment that got you smiling from ear to ear!

The Patriots and the Falcons will meet on Sunday the 5th. Tune into the Super Bowl to see who goes home smiling! Good luck to both teams!

Smiling over and out!

-Maria