OT: Empty annoying motivational phrases used by coaches

Submitted by Steve Lorenz on

Just watched a montage of clips on TNT showing different speeches given by some of the coaches currently in the NBA playoffs. At least three of them played the "nobody believes in us" card. How many times do you hear this in reference to a team? Does anybody think this even motivates players anymore? If nobody believes in anybody, does that mean that belief no longer exists in the realm of sports? Stupid. Is it the most empty annoying phrase used by coaches to motivate their players today?

Michigan_Mike

April 19th, 2010 at 2:27 AM ^

It helps build an "us against the world" mentality that keeps players motivated to go out and prove all of the nay-sayers wrong. It keeps them from growing complacent and stagnant. It's cliched, but it's proven effective over the years. If it didn't work coaches would have stopped using it.

Steve Lorenz

April 19th, 2010 at 3:39 AM ^

If it's effective and every team uses it then how effective can it really be? I guess I just find it kind of hard to believe. Gentry for Phoenix was one who used the phrase....you think guys like Nash and Stoudemire need to hear bullshit like that to get fired up? Maybe I am wrong and they do, but it's just so contrived and overused that I don't understand how it'd still be effective.

Monocle Smile

April 19th, 2010 at 2:59 AM ^

For keeping me from doing an awful homework and allowing me to redirect my frustration at a rather easy target who is nevertheless somewhat deserving of said venting (i.e. my sister is a freshman at MSU who tends to attract boys easily and lives in a res hall and thanks to Dantonio is now attending classes with violent convicts) and yet simultaneously undeserving of the irrationality of my fury despite the lack of guilt I feel from this catharsis.

Wow. One sentence and not even a comma. Either my name is Charles Dickens or I've been up too long.

Monocle Smile

April 19th, 2010 at 1:43 PM ^

an interesting subject. Her current boyfriend is dumb as a rock, but the problem is that he's an improvement. He'll never be able to cheat on her because he's both hollow-headed and tactless plus he knows jack shit about women. Her past two boyfriends were mercilessly unfaithful and one was a pathological liar. Imagine drinking Busch instead of warm Natty.

Jensencoach

April 19th, 2010 at 7:37 AM ^

The target audience for the speech would probably be high school or college athletes. The NBA coaches using it is kinda ridiculous, someone believe in them...hell they believe in you so much they are willing to pay you millions of dollars.

jmblue

April 19th, 2010 at 8:04 AM ^

Yeah, it's a bit overdone. I remember Nolan Richardson playing the "No one gives us any respect" card when he coached his #1-seeded Hogs in the '94 tourney.

Moe Greene

April 19th, 2010 at 9:47 AM ^

One of the highlights of my grad school days was listening to the Jets post-game when Rich Kotite was the coach. It was an endless invocation of the following:

* we played hard, just made a few mistakes
* we left it all on the field
* we need to practice more
* work on fundamentals
* get ready for next week

By week 12, it was like Charlie Brown's teacher.

And it was glorious....

willywill9

April 19th, 2010 at 9:41 AM ^

Rumor has it Red stopped giving motivational speeches right around the time Michigan Hockey turned it around this year. Instead, he let the players do this in between periods:

I hope Rich Rodriguez follows suit.

Tater

April 19th, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^

...when it is true. There is still nothing a competitor responds to better than being told the rest of the world thinks he is going to lose. It's almost as much fun as listening to Phil Jackson work the refs before the series even starts against an eight seed.

Crime Reporter

April 19th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^

Here are some I heard all the time:

* We gotta take it one game at a time
* This team has a chip on its shoulder
* I really liked our effort
* I tip my hat to the other team
* We left it all on the field
* I'm a man! I'm 40!