A++ Coaching

If you ever played on a sports team, especially at a competitive level in college or beyond, you probably had some rules in place to keep everyone in good shape physically, mentally, and emotionally for games.  Some people probably followed the rules, and some people probably ignored them.  I recall one or two times when my own team made those people who disobeyed the rules responsible for their actions and made it known to the team!  The point of these rules is not only being in control of oneself, but also making a group effort, working together, and a feeling of solidarity (even if that meant you could not drink on St. Patty's Day because you had a game to play; Gatorade-pong anyone?)

I recently saw this set of rules put forth by the Texas coach Charlie Strong for his football team.  There are a billion and five critics of his "expectations" most of them stating that "he has no chance of making the changes he hopes to make" and/or that they "have nothing to do with what those athletes are there for."  But as a college athlete, myself, I think they are really great rules for EVERYONE to follow...in fact, if you aren't following these rules, you might want to reconsider the way you are experiencing your education/work environment/parenting/fellow human beings.

And, by the way, Texas is a university team, not a pro team...so the fact that they are Division I is great and all, but to all the nay-sayers regarding Strong's goals, and means of achieving them, out there...most college athletes will "go pro" in something other than the sport that they play, so it's actually RIDICULOUSLY important for athletes to not only be good athletically, but also to get something out of their free or discounted education...you know, on the off-chance that they don't become the starting QB for the next superbowl team, they never start a game on their college team because they weren't the only individual recruited for their position, or they tear their ACL in practice and can't ever get back to 100%.

It's never a bad idea to be a good person

...in case the Monday Night Spotlight doesn't work out.

Without further ado...The "Expectations" of Coach Strong