Game 7

The problem with the NBA, MLB and NHL is that they play too many games. They just do. And we all know it's because of money, and so there's no way to change it. But it's hard to get excited about a regular season game or even a first round playoff game, when you know that everything is not on the line. The NFL has it right, and that's why the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of Super Bowls. 1 game, with everything on the line. But in every other sport, the only thing that comes close is a GAME 7.

Woody Allen once said... (And I'm paraphrasing), "Sport is everything theater wishes to be, but isn't." More specifically, you can't write a script that is less predictable than sport. Whether it's football, golf, soccer or horse racing, nobody knows for sure the outcome, until you play it all the way through.

In theater and film, we are sometimes too obsessed with the ending to appreciate the journey. The director M.Night Shyamalan dealt with that problem after he made "The Sixth Sense." Everyone loved the ending. People were so concerned with his ending, that his following films suffered... Audiences were unable to appreciate the journey of his films "The Village" or "Signs."

Of course, sometimes we know the ending of a film, but we don't care, due to our love of the journey. Almost all romantic comedies fit in this category, as do James Bond films. In both genres, we're almost certain we know the ending. The couple gets together and James Bond kills the bad guy... but we're happy to go the cinema and enjoy the ride, because we want to see how they do it.

In sports, we almost never know the ending, and we never know the journey. Sure, the Yankees are probably gonna make the playoffs, and the Cubs might never win the World Series, but on any given day, in any given sport, any team can beat any team. And that is what makes March Madness so great. That's what makes the NFL so great. That's what makes golf great! And that's what makes GAME 7 everything the "The Karate Kid" wishes it could be.

John Wooden

When I was 16 years old, I was lucky enough to have John Wooden visit our locker room before one of our basketball games. Even as a kid, I knew that this was a moment that I should take advantage of. So I raised my hand and asked him, "What did you tell your players right before they went onto the court? What did you say to pump them up and make sure they were ready to play?" I thought that was appropriate, since we were about to play our game. So here's a chance to hear the greatest coach of all time tell us what he told Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton before they played. Coach Wooden smiled and said, "Nothing... By the time the game started, my job was over."

I'm not sure I knew what he meant at the time, but years later, I have a better idea. The pre-game speech is overrated. It just is. We want to romanticize it, but it's not what wins the game. We'd like to believe in the underdog, but it's just not realistic. I was hoping for something a little more inspiring from John Wooden. But instead I was reminded of what really matters. Sure, a motivational pep-talk won't hurt, but it's not what wins the game.

What wins the game? Hard work and preparation. And that's what John Wooden was talking about. Of course, talent helps too. Some people are so naturally gifted, and don't have to work as hard. And others simply get lucky or unlucky. But hard work pays off 90% of the time. And even though hard work is not a guarantee, it will breed results.

What's a guarantee? Nothing is a guarantee. Woody Allen says, "People are afraid to acknowledge or to face what huge dependency they have on luck." It's true in sports and in life. The ball bounces two inches one way and you lose, two inches the other way and it's a different story. So does that mean we shouldn't work hard? Of course not. I mean we could sit around and blog about it if we wanted to, but I think John Wooden's pre-game speech was letting us know that hard work and preparation put us in the best position to win. And that's the best we can do. We can work hard and see what happens.

I was 16 years old, and I got to hear from John Wooden before a basketball game. And if that's not motivation enough, Coach Wooden sat on our bench during the second half. That's the key to victory, right? Wrong. Our team had not put in any preparation or hard work beforehand. So we lost the game.