The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) will be playing in the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup tomorrow.  In the soccer world there is a lot of discussion about how the team has played, coaching decisions and comparisons to their competition.  Depending on who reads this post, I may be crucified for my next statement but it is the main point of my post.  The USWNT will most likely not raise the Cup this year.

The reason that this could be an inflammatory statement is the expectation that surrounds the USWNT.  The fact that they have won the Cup twice before has created an underlying feeling that we should do it again.  The casual sports fan can get behind the USWNT because there’s a possibility of a winner.

On the flipside of that equation is the US Men’s National Team.  Success is measured by much smaller milestones.  It is not that the USMNT is horrible but we enter international competition with hope rather than expectation.  A loss in the semi-final of a World Cup for the men is a great success.  The same result for the women is a disappointment, even against an opponent like Germany.  I haven’t dealt with “Soccer Issues” in a while on the site but this seemed the perfect time to meld this thought with a message.

Expectation and hope are slightly different degrees of the same emotion.  The difference lies in the amount of certainty prior to the event.  They both have their place in life and should be used in the proper situation.  With regards to most things, I would prefer to look at most situations with hope.  It is one of the reasons why I support underdog teams.  There is a sense of doubt that brings focus and passion.  Expectation can bring complacency.  Very few things are certain in this life.  With expectation, failure is more crushing because you’ve lost something that you thought was yours.  With hope, you realize that nothing is inherently yours and the possibility is as exciting as the achievement.

“Hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things” -Andy Dufresne

Good luck tomorrow ladies!

Pete

In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech in Paris called “Citizen in a Republic”.  It outlined several of the characteristics necessary for citizens in a republic to have.  There is a particular excerpt from that speech that talks about the “Man in the Arena”.  It bemoans the role of the critics and praises the value of the “doer of deeds”.  Despite this speech being a century old, it’s message rings true today.

In 1988, I was in the 7th grade and the “Man in the Arena” excerpt caught my eye.  It was framed in the front of Mr. Tomlinson’s classroom.  Since that year, I have had that quote basically memorized.  In the beginning, I was drawn in by the gritty language, “whose face is marred by dust and  sweat and blood.”  Over the years, the meaning and the gravity of the words have changed.  I no longer picture gladiators or sportsmen when I read it.

Now I picture everyday people choosing to do important things or choosing to become critics.  Mostly I see young people who are being thrust into a new and uncertain world.  Their willingness to “get into the arena” may be our hope for the future.  As we leave a century where there was a pre-scripted plan for success.  The new century has already proven tumultuous and the winners seem to be the ones who are willing to “dare greatly”.

I hope that you are willing to step into the arena.  The arena of life that demands that you act and not critique.  The place where you find your greatest passions and devotions.  In the arena, you will not be shielded from failure but instead will face it and learn to dance with it.  “There is no effort without error and shortcoming.”  Be willing to fail forward, so that your triumph is greater because it came with a cost.  The cost of action, passion and bravery that not everyone is willing to pay.

Get in the arena!

Pete