The first round of the NFL draft was last night and it was full of cliches. Most of them are for the right reasons but nonetheless it runs the gambit of overused phrases.
“I’m just excited to get in there are start working”
“I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve been dreaming of this moment my whole life”
“I’m going to make the teams that passed on me regret that decision”
It’s the last sentiment that really got me thinking. Two of the most common themes in popular culture, particularly sports, are not caring about what other people think and proving those that doubted you wrong. It’s crazy how prevalent both of these themes are while seemingly being in direct opposition to one another.
Rise and grind culture has grown in tandem with the growth of social media. Everyone is either trying to get motivated, prove to others that they are motivated, or motivate others. And if you boil down any of this content, some good and some bad, it all basically distills to “block out the noise and be yourself”. But in the same breath we seem to always be talking about those that were underestimated by others and used it as motivation.
I can’t help but think of Aaron Rodgers. The other day I was watching a video on Aaron Rodger’s historic draft night in which he fell way farther down the board than expected. As he is now considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time, the moment that all those teams passed on him is often referenced. In this video in particular, the question was posed “we know Aaron Rodgers plays with a chip on his shoulder because of the draft. Do you think he would be as good if he was picked first overall and didn’t want to prove everyone wrong?” It’s a valid question. Every time he throws a touchdown it feels like a middle finger to all of the teams still struggling to find their franchise quarterback. For a more recent example, I worry about Baker Mayfield. Baker was notably underrated his entire collegiate career. He openly used the doubters as his fire to consistently defy the odds whether that was winning the starting job at Oklahoma as a walk on or winning the Heisman. But then an awful thing happened – he was selected first overall. No doubt. No hate. Just people believing so strongly in his ability that he was picked above all the rest. He played great as a rookie and we’ll have to see how his career pans out but I’ll forever wonder if he would be the best of all time had he been selected in the 3rd round?
So I guess what I’m asking is: which is it? Like which is actually a better or more consistent formula for winning? Obviously, it ultimately varies per person but let’s generalize. Let’s just talk about the average person. Instead of the freak athlete or inventor of Facebook, let’s talk about normal people trying to reach their above-normal goals. Should they ignore the haters or use it as fire. What actually works?
I don’t have any answers. I’m sorry about that. I’m just a dumb blogger. But they do say the question is more important than the answer right? Eh. Anyway, feel free to send me loads of hate.
