19 Sep We’re Buckeyes: That’s What We Do
After we all had our hearts ripped out on Saturday night, I was watching the interview of a young Matt Barkley and he made a statement that said everything. When they were asking him about the comeback drive at the end of the game, he simply said, “We are USC. That’s what we do.” Here is a new Freshman in his second game with USC, and he spoke such profound words of wisdom. I also believe that he and USC have the ability to make such a statement. It was made with integrity, and did not come at the expense of anyone else. In regards to my being a Buckeye, I had to stop and ask myself the question, “We are The Ohio State University. What do we do?”
I am a Buckeye who now lives in Atlanta, and I am a Buckeye to the bone. I am also a psychologist/author, and it is my goal to help people see how their outside world is reflecting what they need to see on the inside. I often look at how people’s attitudes and beliefs result in their outcomes, and also feel that groups, organizations and even Universities develop collective personalities, based in collective belief systems. This is similar to Matt Barkley’s statement, “We are USC. That is what we do.” To me, as a Trojan, he said that when we are on the ropes and life is challenging us, we find a way to win.
So where have we, as Buckeyes, come from, and where are we going? When I think of Woody, I think of a great coach with extreme expectations, and I remember some great seasons that trailed off and ended in a moment of tragic impulsivity when expectations fell short. When I think back to the years of Earl Bruce, I remember the chant “Up the middle, up the middle, up the middle, punt.” I also remember a number of 9 and 3 seasons and a coach who was fired while having the best winning percentage of any active coach in the Big 10. I then remember John Cooper and the years of Michigan shame, and a coach who was fired who is now in the Hall of Fame. Had each coach possibly reached the end of their road? Maybe, maybe not, but each coach, to some degree, fed our collective belief system, which as I see it is the fear that “We are Buckeyes, and we can’t close the deal.” My wife said it best when she summed her feelings up with the following observation: “OSU is like the Jennifer Anniston of the college football world. We have had some great successes, but somehow true happiness in what we are looking for seems to elude us.”
For the past years, in “big games”, the perception of the Buckeye Nation is that we just pray to not get blown out. All week, before the USC game, some of the “ESPN’ers” were talking about Buckeye fans asking them, wondering if we would make this game with USC respectable. “We Are The Ohio State University! Is that what we do?”
We can say that we, as Buckeyes, are not happy with anything less than perfection, but our behavior says that we ask for the best and expect the worst. Then when the worst comes, we can say that we were right. “We are OSU. Is that what we do?” Are we like that cranky relative we all know who is never happy with anything and spends the autumn of their life unfulfilled, angry and alone?
We, as Buckeyes, have a great university with a rich history that is much more than Football. However, because so many of us affiliate our personal success, somehow, with the rise and fall of our football team, our personal stock tends to rise and fall with them. We are not out on that field, and we are not on that practice field.
We all are taught through our culture that winning is good in life, and it sure feels good. When we lose, we are taught that we are bad, wrong and weak, and when our team loses, somehow we feel bad, wrong and weak. This is universal from Columbus to Ann Arbor to Baton Rouge, and yes, even in L.A. I often tell people that it is easy to be spiritual and reflective when life is good, but people often find religion when life feels painful. To so many of us, football is our Saturday religion, and our football God is disappointing us. Where do we go from here? God never promised “The Shoe” to be the Garden of Eden, and Brutus did not eat the apple.
Integrity is what you do when no one is looking, and among coaches with integrity, honor, and values, Jim Tressel is the elite. He sets limits and boundaries, and does not feel afraid to sit a player who steps beyond his bounds, regardless of how that player’s lack of participation may hurt the team. He exemplifies what we would want in a coach and mentor for many of our kids. He not only coaches players in football, but he coaches them in life. Winning is not just what you do on the field, and winning in life has nothing do with the score at the end of the game. It is an attitude – a belief, and it is developed from who you are and just as much by who you surround yourself with.
In my world view, I would like to be seen as someone with integrity. “We are OSU. Is this what we do?” Or are we part of those who want to win at all costs? Look around at the prices that students, Universities, and people have had to pay for the few who were willing to do whatever it took to win, even if it was dishonest and lacked integrity? We are OSU, and I hope this is not what we do.
Keep in mind that to be considered in the top 10% of many things is an honor, but our culture seems to believe that “Second place is first loser” (Thanks Nike for your infamous Olympic billboard). And from what seems to be going around the horn in the Buckeye Nation we sound like poor sports and fair-weather fans. “Is this who we are as Buckeyes? Is this what we do?”
Are we a university of the dissatisfied and disillusioned. “We are The Ohio State University. Is this what we do?” I appreciate that we don’t settle for less than the best, but in the world of hopes dreams goals and expectations, are we being realistic? I teach people that perfection is a dream to be aspired to, not realized. Are we closer to our goals to win the big game than we were three years ago? Possibly. Look back three years ago. I often teach that the downfall of almost every empire is arrogance, and when I look back at the Florida game, arrogance lead to our fall, when we were told how invincible we were. This played into our egos and the egos of our players. How many years had it been since we were able to say of the word swagger, let alone feel it? Do we miss that feeling? Sure. Is it a healthy feeling? No. Arrogance is based in a shroud of false pride, and its purpose is to protect feelings of insecurity. As for winning the big game, look back to the Cooper years, and the Bruce years… are we consistently closer than we were then to winning the big game? Yes. But does it hurt when we fall down that ladder of hope again and again? Yes, and then it feels scary to climb back up.
The only reason we are becoming the ugly stepchild to the rest of the college football elite (and in our own mind) is because we believe that we are. People can say what they want, but we have the choice to listen. To some degree, do we plant that belief in the subconscious of our players? I believe that we do. I teach people that no one can take your power unless you let them, and we live in a world where our power is often defined by others, not ourselves. Are we letting others determine our collective power? “We are OSU. Is this what we do?”
The only way that belief in externalized power is going to change is if we change from the inside out. People are going to say what they are going to say. Sports fans often love to rag on other teams, and we love to judge, because it helps us feel more powerful. We also have to consider the number of blogs, sports radio shows and Sunday Morning Quarterbacks who are able to put their thoughts out there, who should probably keep them to themselves. The talking heads need to fill web space, air time, and frankly just want to be heard. Many of the attacks and personal judgments are often more based in personal problems than are they valid observations. We are OSU. Is that what we do?
When it comes down to it, we watch games to feel the emotion and experience the journey. As a part life, we feel emotion. We cannot separate emotion from life and from the game, and would not want to. I teach people that every emotion has a positive purpose, no matter how painful they may feel. I feel privileged to be part of a university where I have the opportunity to feel the highs of the victories, and with it comes the lows of the losses. I try to find balance in life, and remember that I am not out on that field. While I feel a part of that journey that those players take, I am not on that journey. We may say that the pressure that the fans and media add is just part and parcel of the job that they take on. They chose to come to Ohio State, but I think as fans that love our University and love winning, we forget that they are still students. Now imagine that you are in a class at a mid-term or final and your classmates and family are telling you that you stink whenever you miss a question, and when you get less than a perfect score those same people tell you that you are a loser, and they knew you would choke. Does that inspire confidence? We are OSU. Is that what we do?
I would ask that we adopt a different view, to aspire to a higher level, not just because we are Buckeyes, but because we are people. As I said, change, first, has to start within. I believe in inspiring others to reach for greatness. I am a Buckeye, and that is what I do. In helping others reach for greatness, it is not at the personal expense of others, and it is impossible to reach for greatness when it is at your own expense.
If you have an opinion, let it be known, but do it with dignity, class and integrity. Remember that you are not on that field, and this is not your mid-term. I teach people to use others as their measuring sticks in life, but not to judge their value by their observations, but instead to see what it is possible to achieve. We are Buckeyes. Let’s see what we can achieve… together.
Experience the emotion and enjoy the journey. OH-
Erik Fisher, Ph.D., aka Dr. E…