Poise Under Super Pressure?

BREAKING NEWS! The New York Giants just beat the heavily favored New England Patriots in one of the biggest upsets in the history of football, perhaps all of sports. Patriots coach Bill Bellichick, fairly or unfairly, has recently been cast as a villain, given the whole “Spygate” controversy.

Giants coach Ton Coughlan has also been much maligned in recent years, but for different reasons. Branded as a loser, and under the white-hot glare of the unforgiving New York media, he had to fight for his job this season. According to the Fox Network, Coughlan coached a record 205 games before taking a team to the Super Bowl. And now he has won in his first Super Bowl appearance. Certainly, he had the opportunity to fire back at his critics.

In the meantime, Mercury Morris of the 1972 Miami Dolphins has been making news on his own in the past few days. He would tell anyone who would listen that the Patriots were just not as good as his own team. What was more, he believed the Pats were vulnerable in The Big Game.
So how do you comport yourself in such situations once all the dust has settled? How would you react if you found yourself in cases like these?

First, the owners of the Giants thanked the fans and praised teamwork. Coughlan praised the Patriots as “a great team.” He never maligned his opponents, instead choosing to emphasize the positive qualities of his own team. In his press conference, he expressed happiness for how his veterans would get a Super Bowl ring.

Bellichick was taciturn as always. He gave terse, unsmiling responses to the reporter. In my opinion, this was perfectly understandable. However, he also noticeably did not congratulate the Giants, nor did he acknowledge the level of their play.

ESPN interviewed Morris after the win, now something of a Cassandra for predicting the win. Also, his team holds onto their immortality. He admitted that a tear came to his eye as his team remains the only football team with a perfect record that went on to win the Super Bowl. “It was important that the Giants won the game… You people (the media) after two games declared them the world champions… We were the best ever then, and we’re the best ever now.” When the ESPN commentator congratulated Morris, he said that the congratulations belonged to the Giants.

So here are a few takeaways when you find yourself in a similar high-pressure situation:
When you win unexpectedly after having been widely projects as a loser, don’t gloat. People will remember your better angels.

When you lose surprisingly, be gracious. Congratulate your opponents or whoever else is on the other side. People will remember your churlishness.

Be selfless enough to keep the focus off yourself as Mr. Morris did. If we haven’t learned the bad effects of hogging the spotlight from Bill Clinton as he supports Senator Clinton’s campaign, then we will never learn it.

Again, these situations show the value of being able to speak extemporaneously. Preparing for all possible outcomes is also important. BREAKING NEWS! The New York Giants just beat the heavily favored New England Patriots in one of the biggest upsets in the history of football, perhaps all of sports. Patriots coach Bill Bellichick, fairly or unfairly, has recently been cast as a villain, given the whole “Spygate” controversy.

Giants coach Ton Coughlan has also been much maligned in recent years, but for different reasons. Branded as a loser, and under the white-hot glare of the unforgiving New York media, he had to fight for his job this season. According to the Fox Network, Coughlan coached a record 205 games before taking a team to the Super Bowl. And now he has won in his first Super Bowl appearance. Certainly, he had the opportunity to fire back at his critics.

In the meantime, Mercury Morris of the 1972 Miami Dolphins has been making news on his own in the past few days. He would tell anyone who would listen that the Patriots were just not as good as his own team. What was more, he believed the Pats were vulnerable in The Big Game.
So how do you comport yourself in such situations once all the dust has settled? How would you react if you found yourself in cases like these?

First, the owners of the Giants thanked the fans and praised teamwork. Coughlan praised the Patriots as “a great team.” He never maligned his opponents, instead choosing to emphasize the positive qualities of his own team. In his press conference, he expressed happiness for how his veterans would get a Super Bowl ring.

Bellichick was taciturn as always. He gave terse, unsmiling responses to the reporter. In my opinion, this was perfectly understandable. However, he also noticeably did not congratulate the Giants, nor did he acknowledge the level of their play.

ESPN interviewed Morris after the win, now something of a Cassandra for predicting the win. Also, his team holds onto their immortality. He admitted that a tear came to his eye as his team remains the only football team with a perfect record that went on to win the Super Bowl. “It was important that the Giants won the game… You people (the media) after two games declared them the world champions… We were the best ever then, and we’re the best ever now.” When the ESPN commentator congratulated Morris, he said that the congratulations belonged to the Giants.

So here are a few takeaways when you find yourself in a similar high-pressure situation:
When you win unexpectedly after having been widely projects as a loser, don’t gloat. People will remember your better angels.

When you lose surprisingly, be gracious. Congratulate your opponents or whoever else is on the other side. People will remember your churlishness.

Be selfless enough to keep the focus off yourself as Mr. Morris did. If we haven’t learned the bad effects of hogging the spotlight from Bill Clinton as he supports Senator Clinton’s campaign, then we will never learn it.

Again, these situations show the value of being able to speak extemporaneously. Preparing for all possible outcomes is also important.