What Can Young Athletes Learn from the Eagles’ Victory?

After the Eagles capped one of the most prolific seasons in football history, there is so much that our young athletes can learn from Nick Foles and the team.

Embrace Failure:  In this video, Nick Foles says it best “Failure is a part of life…of building character and growing…without failure who would you be?”  You gotta love this guy’s spirit, not to mention his on-field performance this post season.  Many naive young athletes believe that failure will prevent them from achieving greatness…nothing could be further from the truth.

Be Selfless, Not Selfish:  Amazing how Foles responded to a reporter’s question about next year’s return of Carson Wentz:  Foles said “I’m excited for Carson Wentz to come back healthy…I will work with him everyday…the dude’s a stud”.  Pretty impressive, especially in an age where many young athletes, especially at more competitive levels, view their teammates as competitors.

Be Resilient:  This is a word that dominated the broadcast as we watched a last place team from last year comeback to win this year’s SuperBowl.  There is nothing more powerful in sports, in business, in life than resilience….because it is the counterpoint to failure.  The team could have folded after Carson Wentz got hurt in week 14, but instead they adapted, pushed-through, and showed toughness…all important elements of being resilient.  Although we want to protect our young players, let’s help them learn the lessons of resiliency by overcoming challenges on their own.

Be Charitable:  Chris Long, one of the toughest guys on the field, showed his softer side this season when he announced that he would donate his entire salary to education charities…not sure anyone has ever done that before, in any sport.  But the lesson for kids is clear:  find causes you believe in, do good for your community and set a great example.