Sports Dreams and Life's Realities

"We've got to get outside of the zone to excel."

Sports Dreams and Life's Realities
Teaching Young Athletes How to Extend Their Dreams

by James Amps III

As I looked out into the crowd of 1,200 anxious young faces one cool Connecticut afternoon last February, I had a dilemma: how do I inspire these student athletes to dream and yet remind them of the need for a back-up plan? Namely: education or training in another arena, a "Plan B," an alternative dream…

Now I was no dry, academic adult father-figure type talking to them, merely making a statistical point about the 10,000-to-one odds against athletic success. I know where our young people are coming from. I know what it feels like to want to play college sports and professional football. I was there myself many years ago. Being recruited by major colleges can give anyone a feeling of elation, supreme confidence and well-deserved accomplishment. My story of wanting to play running back for the Dallas Cowboys is a story that could be told by countless young men in every city in America. However, folks, we have got to be realistic. There are thousands of young people who will never get the opportunity to play college sports--let alone professional sports.

So, why do so many young people believe that they can earn a living playing professional sports? I suppose for the same reason that so many adults stand in line to buy Lotto tickets when the jackpot is $250 million...

After all--someone's got to win! Why not me? Well, the odds against winning the lottery are probably the same as those against making it in sports.

Unfortunately, some parents fan the flame of an unrealistic dream. They want to believe that their child will be the next athletic superstar appearing in television commercials, endorsing products too numerous to mention. Yes, the advertising industry has done its part to make sure that millionaire athletes are some of the most recognized faces in America.

That afternoon in Connecticut, I told my audience of young athletes about the odds against making it to the "big time." Some of them, I was told, were not doing as well in the classroom as they were on the basketball court. So I took some time to remind them of their responsibility. Contrary to popular opinion, I believe that student athletes have a higher degree of responsibility to do well in school than the average student. They have proven that they have inner drive, determination and persistence. These are just the qualities you need for academic success. If I can teach young athletes to use the same drive in the classroom that they use on the court, I will have achieved true success. Some star student athletes forget that acing a test in the classroom is just as important and rewarding as making a basket, scoring a touchdown, landing a triple axle or spiking the winning point in a volleyball game. Once young athletes realize the true extent of the strength and skills that they possess, they will begin to unleash their inherent potential and talent in the classroom.

Now that I have made my point about being realistic, let me confirm my commitment to letting young people dream. You can dream, young sister and brother. Please do go after what you love to do. We only live once on this earth. Go after your vision. But as you formulate your vision of athletic success, reserve some of that drive and determination to pursue another course of action if your first dream, your "Plan A," does not work out. Take the realities of life and allow your challenges, your failures and your ultimate triumphs to make you better not bitter.

James Amps' talk in Connecticut was was sponsored by Dominos Pizza. Five schools participated. Amps conducts 40 to 50 such assemblies throughout the country per year.