Any given Sunday
It gets said in sports all the time but can never be stressed enough, every game matters and every game is up for grabs. In every game there is going to be a favorite and an underdog. But that does not mean things will always turn out the way you anticipate. And that does not mean that you just give up because your team isn’t favored to win. There is a reason we play the game and not just give it to the win to the team that looks better on paper.
If you’re the team that on paper looks better a couple different things can happen and you have to be really careful. The first thing that can happen is that teams have a tendency to look past weaker teams and look towards the next opponent. This overconfidence can lead to a teams downfall. Believing fully that you are the better team and that you are guaranteed a win has a tendency to cause teams to lack focus. This lack of focus leads to mistakes which in turn leads to a loss. The other problem is when a team believes that they should win and that belief causes them to deviate from their usually playing style. More often then not this leads to teams becoming stiff and uncomfortable leading to mistakes.
If on the other hand if you focus on the game at hand and play your game chances are everything will work out the way you want.
For the underdogs. If you walk into a game believing it is already lost chances are it will be lost. There will be no motivation from the team to work or try since they will believe that no matter what they do the game has already been decided. Here’s the thing though, no game has been decided until it has been played. And no game is over until the final whistle. No matter what everyone says if you step out with a purpose and play your game there is no telling what can happen. Be confident in yourself and play with purpose. Play until the final whistle.
No matter the situation, every game is equally important. Never underestimate an opponent and never believe that you have already lost before the game begins. Every time you step on the field step out with a clear and concise purpose. The game isn’t over until the final whistle blows, so work as hard as you can until that final whistle. It only takes one goal, one lucky bounce, one second to change the tide of a game.