Positive Discomfort
+ 15 Sports Facts from 2024
"The best leaders are exothermic. Every atom jiggles faster around them. There is no chance for stasis." — Tobi Lütke
Hey Coaches,
Here you go!
✍️ Articles
A winning mix: High standards, high support: Here’s how ‘positive discomfort’ helped the USA women’s soccer team win gold in the Olympics this year.
When asked what propelled their trophy, Hayes, who is considered one of the world’s best coaches, replied, “Love.”
…
“A coach can’t tell a player, ‘You’re the worst and you have to change,’ and then say, ‘Go do it on your own,’” says Yeager, who writes in his book that young people crave authentic respect. “The player needs to first feel like the coach is on their side, before they’re going to put in the work to change all of their technique or performance,” he adds. When that happens, criticism becomes a compliment.
The art of outlasting: What we can learn from timeproof Japanese businesses: This is thought provoking in more ways than one. I wish it had more substance but it’s great.
“In the end, the art of outlasting isn’t just about survival. It’s about creating something so enduring, so aligned with its purpose, that it becomes timeless.”
🎙️ Podcast
The Daily Stoic: Every Day Is A Day To Give Thanks - I probably listen to 75% of The Daily Stoic episodes, and this was my favorite from 2024. It reminds me of the “Good” video by Jocko. [11/28/2024 - 11 minutes] Apple | Spotify
💭 Miscellaneous
There are always lists of facts people learned during the year (here, here, here and here). I’m biased that the last is the best (I may or may not have done that one) but here are facts from the lists that this audience will probably enjoy:
Swearing improves grip strength by 9%, wall sit time by 22%, and plank time by 12%. (“Effect of swearing on physical performance“)
Legalization of online sports betting generates an 8% increase in credit card debt among sports betters. The poor are disproportionately affected: low income households spend 32% more on betting than high income households. (“Gambling Away Stability: Sports Betting’s Impact on Vulnerable Households“)
Members of all-male groups are more prone to lying than groups comprised of both men and women. When the first woman joins an all-male group, the rate of lying plummets. (“Honesty of Groups: Effects of Size and Gender Composition“)
Roger Federer said “In the 1526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. Now, I have a question for you. What percentage of points do you think I won in those matches? Only 54%.” [fs]
“People whose surnames start with U, V, W, X, Y, or Z tend to get grades 0.6% lower than people with A-to-E surnames. Modern learning management systems sort papers alphabetically before they’re marked, so those at the bottom are always seen last, by tired, grumpy markers. A few teachers flip the default setting and mark Z to A, and their results are reversed.” [Tom Whitwell]
“Allen Iverson, who went broke despite earning nearly $200 million in salary and endorsements and is hanging on to reach his 55th birthday seven years from now when he will receive $32 million from Reebok, thanks to a lifetime contract he signed with the shoe company in 2001.” Link
Parlay bets account for 70% of total bets on FanDuel. Link
There are more than one billion Cricket fans in the world, but just 2% of them are in the United States. Link
"There are 17 American men in history who have run under 2:10 in the marathon. There were 32 Kalenjin (an East African tribe) who did it in October of 2011." Link
Nearly 400,000 guests stayed at Airbnbs in Paris for the Olympics, equivalent to 5 Olympic stadiums. Link
Olympians who win a medal took home a real piece of the Eiffel Tower. Each medal includes 18 grams (0.04 pounds) of the Eiffel iron. Link
"only about 7 percent made it through Nobel Prize economist Daniel Kahneman’s magnum opus, Thinking, Fast and Slow." Link
Photographs of sporting events in the 1960–70s have a blue haze in the background that’s absent in modern photos. It’s because everyone was smoking in the arena. [Allen Murabayashi]
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hired a team of professional pickpockets to steal phones and wallets from his players at a dinner, to teach the squad the importance of being ready, alert and prepared at all times. [James McNicholas]
Lebron James is a 20x NBA All-Star. There have only been 11 other players to even play 20 seasons in NBA history.
Alabama Football lost three games this year as a 14+ point favorite. Nick Saban lost three total games as a 14+ point favorite in 17 years as Alabama’s coach.
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