The real importance of sports Sean Adams TEDxACU

love sports. I've loved them from the time was young man. loved them even though didn't grow up in sports family. think fell in love with sports because saw it as honest. If you can produce, you get to play. And it was that simple. come to you today to talk to you about maybe an importance in sports that we haven't recognized before. have been able to do ton of things because of sports. was able to represent my university. was able to become an All-American. won watches. was in magazines. And all of that pales when we talk about the importance of what could be in sports right now. Historically there's been four ways by by which we raise men in this country. In the home, in the church, in the military, and in sports. Cultural changes have changed the mix on the importance of how those things work. In the home, right now 1/3 of American children, about 15 million children, grow up in home with no father. That's lot of young boys growing up without daily example of manhood in their home. In church, census tells us that less than 20% of American citizens go to church, attend church service on regular basis. And if social trends in America follow Europe like they usually do, by 2025, the number could be 12 or 13% of American citizens attend church service on regular basis. Because of technology, cyber advancement, the current administration's desire to bring the number of active military down to its lowest point since World War II, 80% of applicants to the military get turned away. We're not raising lot of men in the military, either. What we're left with is sports. Could be the last bastion by which we give the characteristics and the virtues with which we raise men. In sports, where we learn the virtue of the huddle, where you take north and south, east and west, conservative and liberal, black and white, you put them in the same huddle, you give them the same color jersey, you give them common goal, you let them sweat, tear up, and work hard together, and special things start to take place. Where we learn teamwork, community, fidelity, we care about each other, don't let each other down. The old coach's term that says, teams that play for great fan base win lot of games. Teams that play for great coach win lot of games. Teams that play for each other win championships. It's concept we could use in our families right now. What about pride? Where I'm constantly reminded that pride is the worst of the seven sins. And constantly have to remind people, unfortunately got lot of it. But don't think you get anywhere in this world without some pride, without some passion, without some accountability. Where pride for me means personal responsibility in daily excellence. That's my pride. We talk about failure. The virtue from failure. Sports based in failure sometimes. Those under virtues that allow us to succeed in life because we've experienced some failure in other places. wanted to be national champion. had been blessed enough to be an All-American. I'd done ton of stuff, but I'd never been an individual national champion. We get to my senior year, we're at North Carolina State, and have shot to be national champion in number of events. get second place. get third place. So I'm All-American again, but I'm not national champion. And that's what wanted to be. We get to the 4x4 relay. I'm the anchor. And wanted it on me. I'm the kid. sat in front of my house with my Walter Mitty stories thinking I'm putting myself in places where can be the hero. counted down 3-2-1 and shot the basket. wanted to anchor that 4x4 relay. We get down to the anchor, and I'm waiting like this. And I'm waiting for my guy to bring me the baton. He gives me the baton. take off running. I'm in third place by about 12 or 13 Within the first 50 go past the guy in second place. Somewhere along the back straight, pull up next to the guy in first place. And for the life of me, have no idea why don't go by him. My coach had always told me, if you get up next to him, you have to go by him and make him run your race. If you sit next to him, you'll end up running his. run tied with him for about 200 until we get to 50 to go. I'm closing in. About 40 to go, he starts pulling in front of me. And he's pulling little further away from me. And finally I'm getting the notion with about 10 or 15 to go that I'm going to get my team second place again. was miserable. was crushed. At that moment it was one of the toughest things ever had to experience. But you know what learned from it? One, do what your coaches and your teachers and your parents tell you to do cuz they usually know lot more than you do. If I'd done what was coached to do that day, I'd win that race. Two, failure's not permanent. Failure's like rain cloud, and sometimes it rains on you, and you got to ride it out. And three, if you don't internalize it and you don't personalize it, you'll realize it's just part of life, and you will grow and become better for it. All those lessons learned in sports, to manage failure, to be in community, to understand the characteristics of diversity, to understand the interconnected relationship between preparation and success. All of these virtues that we have learned in so many other places in life that seemingly we have to learn in sports now. Where are we going to get them from? How important does sports become? Former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, probably more popularized for coining the phrase clear and present danger, also said, "The place for any man complete in all of his powers is in the fight." And don't know if I'm complete in all of my powers, but having the opportunity through sports to fight for the growth and the development of young people when seemingly every historic fixture around them is breaking, is fight that I'm honored to be in. Thank you very much.