It really aggravates me when people say, or even think: “We don’t do it that way,” or “I’ve never done it that way.”
Because what they really mean is: “If I did it another way, I’d have to think more or work harder,” or “I’m not going to take the time to consider another way to do this,” or the worst, “Even if I could make this situation better, it’s really not my job/responsibility.”
Just ask Patrick, my husband. Whenever I am incredulous or exasperated with someone who just won’t take an extra step to make sure something is done right (or at least done completely), he tells me I’m expecting too much of people (Patrick is the most helpful and precise person I know). Because most people just aren’t going to take the initiative to try something new, even if it means missing out on something really good.
I tell you this because after much self-analysis, I’ve concluded it is the reason why I’ve been pulling for Tim Tebow since the beginning of this football year. I am not an NFL fan. I’m not even a football fan in general except for Notre Dame on Saturdays (haters, pile on). In truth, I’d always rather watch an episode of Holmes Inspection (because Mr. Holmes would never not take the time to Make It Right).
But the fact that a young man who, by all accounts, is 1) a decent human being 2) a winning college quarterback and 3) a first-round draft pick, has confounded the majority of the professional football world just because he wins games while doing things differently, well, it makes him a JOY for me to watch and root for.
Completely discounting the Tebow-haters, even former athletes who want to like him make all kinds of excuses about why his style of play just won’t work in the NFL. Most of them sound something like this:
“You can’t build an offense around him. Even if his style works for him, and the team wins games, what happens if he gets injured? The backup quarterback can’t play like that and then the offense will have to adjust all over again.”
I say–emphatically–so what? Everything in that argument is speculative, and you’re now assuming some sort of big problem as a result of success on the field. There’s a big difference between risk-management (a good thing) and just being too scared or lazy to adapt or pursue unconventional success because it will require extra work. If everyone thought that way, nothing new would ever happen.
This is the best article I’ve read about Tim Tebow and his style. The upshot is: Why isn’t there room for more than one style of play in the NFL? God forbid things should get interesting as a result of on-field changes (as opposed to off-the-field misbehavior).
On another note completely: There aren’t many things on TV more boring than golf. And I never was a Tiger Woods fan. After his shenanigans a few years ago, you couldn’t pay me to walk across the street to see him. However, I love redemption as much as anyone, and I was happy to see him win yesterday. Enough time has passed and, as with Michael Vick, I’d like to think he’s used that time to pull himself together, pay his dues, and proceed with caution. (And no, I’m not comparing organized dog fighting to cheating multiple times on one’s wife. Though I’m not sure which one of those is supposed to be worse).
This sometimes-sports-fan thinks it was a pretty good outcome to the weekend.