Speaking of Sports Movies

A cool Infographic from EW

Six Great Sports Movies that are Based on True Stories

One of the major ways we communicate what matters to us is through our stories. The stories we hear and tell serve to reinforce the principles we care about. I think underdog stories really resonate with most of us because they reinforce our belief in determination, opposition and overcome. That's probably why we love sports so much. Sports provide great stories! Some of the very best stories in fact. Some of my favorite movies of all time are based on true stories. Here is a list of six of my favorite sports movies that are based on true stories (of course some are truer to the true story than others...but still). All of them are underdog stories, and they will all make you feel good.

#6 - Cool Runnings

#5 - Invincible

#4 - Remember the Titans

#3 - Cinderella Man

#2 - Miracle


#1 - Rudy

Smart Sports Equipment Turns Phones into Coaches

Check out this cool article from ksl.com about technology in sports

Communication Theory can make You better at Sports

When I joined the high school team as a sophomore, I was far from being a polished tennis player. I had only been playing for a year and had never been trained how to properly swing a racket. I just loved to play. The very first thing our coach did when we started practicing was to teach us the mechanics of a proper swing. The time some of us had spent playing before we joined the team had ingrained in us habits that were hard to break and often denied altogether. It surprised me how many of the players on the team were unwilling to change their swings based on our coaches training. Since my high school tennis era, I have reflected on that experience. I have become a fervent believer in the power of seeking and receiving feedback. 

     It was several years later in a college communication course that I was introduced to Johari's window. Probably because my tennis team experience and other similar ones, the concept rang true to me immediately. It provided a framework to explain why communication and feedback are so important. 

The basic concept of Johari's window is simple. There are things you know about yourself, and things you don't know about yourself. There are also things others know about you and things they do not. If you put those four categories into a matrix you get the window with four panes.

Open Area - Truths about you known to both yourself and others

Ex: (I am a male. I know that, others know it too)

Hidden Area - Truths known to yourself, but not to others

Ex: (I listen to the Backstreet Boys. I know it. I keep it hidden from others.)

Blind Area - Truths known to others, but not to yourself

Ex: (My breath smells like death. Others know it. I'm sadly unaware.)

Unknown Area - Truths about you that aren't yet known to yourself or to others

Ex: (I am allergic to Brazil. I didn't know that and neither did anyone else.)

The blind area is the most intimidating window. It is also where the most truth is wasted. These are the truths that others can see but you haven't, can't, or refuse to see about yourself. If a person wants to see clearly where he or she can improve as an athlete (or teacher, or spouse, or neighbor, or friend) this is the richest resource. Why? Because it is truth that is already known by another, and is therefore available to share. Like my tennis coach, who could tell me that I was twisting my wrist when I hit the ball, or that I wasn't holding my racket in the right position. I now have the choice to make that knowledge a part of my open pane by accepting and acknowledging it, or I can force it back into the blind pane by ignoring and denying it.

     A successful athlete needs to be eager to improve. The best place to look for that improvement is in the blind area. While it requires some humility to accept and can sometimes hurt to hear, truth from the blind pane is an athlete's best friend. Rather than hide from coaching and feedback, a great athlete will seek it like the treasure it is. 

Scott Sterling, Local Hero

While Studio C has been growing in popularity locally, last week's sketch about sensational goalkeeper Scott Sterling has gone viral nationally. Here is the original video and a fun interview with Matt Meese, the actor discussing the video's success. 

Sports and Social Media

by Column Five Media.

Top Ten Touchdown Celebrations of All Time

Top Ten Touchdown Celebrations of All Time

Kaelin Clay goes Viral

As a follow up to my last post, another local blunder has made national headlines. On Saturday night, Utah's Kaelin Clay made a 14-point mistake when he dropped the ball on the one yard line in a premature celebration. The Ducks recovered and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The story has spread across the internet over the weekend. Here's another example of the power of social media to put this kind of event at the fingertips of a worldwide audience. Click the image to watch Clay's goal line flub. 

Failing at Sports in an Epic Fail World

I went to a lot of sports events while I was in High School. Only a handful of the many I attended was memorable enough to stick with me. Some of those games are memorable because we pulled out dramatic wins or beat hated rivals. There is one that stands apart from all the rest, not because of the dramatic way we lost. 

     After a long close match-up with a cross-town rival, our high school basketball team had a narrow lead and possession of the ball with just a few seconds left on the clock. At that point, the unthinkable happened. Our player turned the ball over on an inbound pass right under our opponent's rim. They scored the quick layup before the buzzer and won the game. We were dumbfounded. In all my other memories of high school sports, I can't remember any feat, play or accomplishment by any one specific individual except one, the one who lost us that game.

     It's interesting that of all the heroic and dramatic wins I know I witnessed over my four years in high school, the only specific play I can remember was a fail. For some reason, people love to see people fail. Some revel in others' failures while other cringe, yet none of us can turn away. 

     Failing has become harder to do in today's EPIC FAIL world. Whole YouTube channels are devoted to Fail compilations where you can watch people fail in any activity you'd like to. Sports fails, wedding fails, school fails, work fails, church fails and the list goes on. And while there have always been shows like AFV where people send in blooper videos, now those videos can be shared with one click, and are even captured on a live stream. I wonder how life would have been different for my friend in high school who blew one the biggest games of his life on a blunder. 

     Last week another high school athlete made probably the biggest mistake of his football life. Jason Money of Spanish Fork High School, Utah had a mental lapse, ending with one of the most heartbreaking losses you'll ever watch. Overnight, the video of his failure had gone viral, having been seen by over a million viewers. An article in the Deseret News described Jason's experience of receiving hate mail and death threats from people he didn't even know. He then got phone calls and messages from coaches, opponents, strangers and even professional athletes who offered encouragement and support. 

      Failure can be a difficult thing for any athlete. It can be especially hard for a young athlete. Today's world of instant sharing and epic fails has made failing more common, but it has definitely raised the stakes. While the memory of that high school basketball game may be etched in stone for me, Money's epic fail is etched in something much more dangerous, bits and bytes.