We try hard as a society to set our kids up for success; to provide good educations and equal opportunities. That’s how it should be. But it seems that often it’s adversity that propels success.
I’m noticing this more and more through the lens of sports. I recently finished reading The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict, about the creation of the New England Patriots, focusing primarily on three key figures: Robert Kraft, Bill Belichik and Tom Brady.
The gargantuan chip on Brady’s shoulder that being picked 199th created has been matched only by his unparalleled career. The lack of belief in Brady has propelled him over and over to prove people wrong. It may even be why he’s also one of the best comeback quarterbacks of all time.
Then there’s Michael Jordan who, though he had some early setbacks, by all accounts was headed for a superstar career by his sophomore year in college. But what came through in his documentary The Last Dance was how much he thrived on being down. He turned every on-court taunt, every loss, into fuel. So much so that he essentially fabricated insults to energize himself. His mantra “I took that personally” has even become an internet meme.
The same is now happening with Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Marc-André Fleury, whose team, the Vegas Golden Knights, had given up on him as a starter. Well, their new starter is injured and Fleury is having the season of his life.
For these cutthroat competitors, there’s something about being told you can’t do it, that drives you to achieve all the more.
Hard as it is to imagine, once upon a time Kraft was a relative nobody who had a dream: to own the New England Patriots. He knew when to walk away from bad offers, but he didn’t give up on his dream. He very cleverly kept at it, taking smart steps until the team had no choice but to sell to him. (By the way, if we were going to have a billionaire as president, why couldn’t it have been Kraft?)
In a year that’s been filled with enormous adversity, these people, their accomplishments and their passion keep me inspired.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]
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