Football & Life
How Football Season Coaches Us Through Life
Heather Lageman
Game Time
The crisp air carries a familiar electricity. Stadiums fill with anticipation. Friday night lights flicker on across America. Football season is back, and with it comes something far deeper than touchdowns and field goals—it brings us universal lessons about life, teamwork, and the beautiful art of starting over.
The Fresh Start Phenomenon
Every August, football teams across all levels—from the NFL’s training camps to college programs and high school squads—gather for their first practice with the same mindset: this could be the year. Last season’s record doesn’t matter. Yesterday’s mistakes are forgotten. It’s a clean slate, and that mentality is something we can all embrace.
Life Parallel: Just like football teams, we all get chances to reset. Maybe it’s a new job, a new relationship, or simply a Monday morning. The power of the fresh start isn’t just superficial motivation—research from the Wharton School shows that temporal landmarks (like the start of a new season) actually increase our motivation to pursue goals and make positive changes.
Coaching Corner: Your Personal Playbook
Take a moment to identify one area of your life where you’d like a “fresh start.” What would your opening play be?
The Power of Preparation
Football coaches spend months developing playbooks, studying film, and preparing their teams for every possible scenario. Coach Vince Lombardi famously said, “The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” This preparation isn’t just about physical conditioning—it’s about mental readiness, team chemistry, and having a plan.
Life Parallel: Whether you’re preparing for a big presentation, planning a family vacation, or working toward a personal goal, the principle remains the same. Success rarely happens by accident. It’s built through consistent, thoughtful preparation. The Harvard Business Review found that teams with clear preparation protocols perform 25% better under pressure than those who “wing it.” Your life deserves the same strategic approach a championship team brings to the field.
Coaching Corner: The Two-Minute Drill
Set a timer for two minutes. Write down three things you can do this week to better prepare for an upcoming challenge or opportunity. Don’t overthink it—just like a quarterback in the two-minute drill, sometimes the best decisions come from trusting your instincts and acting quickly.
Finding Your Position
In football, not everyone can be the quarterback. Success comes from each player understanding their role and executing it with excellence. The offensive lineman protecting the quarterback is just as crucial as the running back scoring the touchdown.
Life Parallel: We live in a culture that often celebrates only the “starring roles”—the CEOs, the performers, the visible leaders. But every team, family, and community needs its “offensive line”—the people who do the foundational work that makes everything else possible. Research from Gallup shows that people who understand how their work contributes to the larger mission are 3x more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their lives.
Coaching Corner: Position Assessment
Ask yourself:
- What’s my natural position in my family, workplace, school, or community?
- How does my role contribute to the team’s success?
- Am I playing to my strengths?
The Art of the Comeback
Football is a game of momentum swings. Teams can be down by multiple touchdowns and still find a way to win. The largest comeback in college football history happened when Michigan State overcame a 35-point deficit against Northwestern in 2006, trailing 38-3 with 9:54 left in the third quarter before scoring 38 unanswered points to win 41-38. In the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings achieved the largest regular season comeback ever by overcoming a 33-0 third-quarter deficit to defeat Indianapolis 39-36 in overtime in 2022. For playoffs, the Buffalo Bills’ legendary 32-point comeback against Houston in the 1992 AFC Wild Card game—known simply as “The Comeback”—remains the gold standard. These moments remind us that games aren’t over until the final whistle—and sometimes the most impossible situations become the most legendary victories.
Life Parallel: We all face moments when we’re “down by three touchdowns.” Maybe it’s a career setback, a relationship challenge, or a personal struggle. The comeback mindset isn’t about denying reality—it’s about focusing on what you can control and taking it one play at a time. Dr. Angela Duckworth’s research on “grit” shows that persistence and resilience are better predictors of success than talent alone. Every comeback starts with the decision to keep playing.
Coaching Corner: Design Your Comeback Playbook
Think of a time you successfully “came back” from a difficult situation. What were the key plays (actions, decisions, mindset shifts) that led to your turnaround? Write them down—these are your go-to strategies for future challenges.
The Beauty of Teamwork
Individual stars might get the headlines, but championships are won by teams. Football teaches us that success is rarely a solo effort. Even the most talented quarterback needs protection, good receivers, and a defense that can get the ball back.
Life Parallel: Whether in business, relationships, or community involvement, our biggest achievements come through collaboration. The MIT Sloan School of Management found that diverse, collaborative teams consistently outperform individual contributors, even when those individuals have superior technical skills.
Coaching Corner: Your Support Squad
Draw a simple diagram of your “team”:
- Who are your “coaches” (mentors, advisors)?
- Who are your “teammates” (peers, collaborators)?
- Who are your “cheerleaders” (supporters, encouragers)?
- Where are the gaps? Who might you need to recruit?
Embracing the Process
Football teams practice the same fundamental drills thousands of times. They run the same basic plays until they become second nature. Success isn’t just about the big moments—it’s about mastering the fundamentals and trusting the process.
Life Parallel: We live in an instant-gratification culture, but meaningful achievement still requires embracing the daily grind. James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits,” notes that we don’t rise to the level of our goals—we fall to the level of our systems and daily practices.
Coaching Corner: Your Daily Fundamentals
Identify 2-3 “fundamental drills” in your life—small, daily actions that move you toward your bigger goals. Maybe it’s reading for 15 minutes, exercising, or having meaningful conversations with family. Consistency with the basics creates extraordinary results.
The Fourth Quarter Mindset
Football games are often decided in the fourth quarter when players are tired, the pressure is highest, and character is revealed. The teams that finish strong aren’t necessarily the most talented—they’re the ones who’ve prepared for these moments and refuse to quit.
This mental approach recently gained national attention when Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown was spotted reading “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy on the sideline during a playoff game. Brown’s teammates call the book “The Recipe,” because he reads it with such dedication throughout the season. His commitment to this mental training helped propel Murphy’s book to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list after the viral sideline moment. The book’s core philosophy centers on what Murphy calls “centuries-old principles of love, wisdom, and courage” designed to help people “perform extraordinarily and live with absolute fullness of life.” Murphy’s key insight perfectly captures football’s fourth-quarter demands: “What we really want, beyond our tangible goals and pursuits, is to feel totally alive. We want freedom to live with passion and pursue our dreams regardless of what people think.” Brown’s commitment to mental preparation—literally reading during games—demonstrates how elite performers stay grounded when the pressure is highest. It’s not just about physical preparation; championship-level performance requires feeding your mind with the right principles.
Life Parallel: Life has its fourth quarters too—the final push on a project, the challenging teenage years with your kids, or the last miles of running a marathon. These moments test not just our skills, but our character and commitment. Just like AJ Brown turns to his mental “recipe” during crucial NFL moments, we all need proven tools and principles to finish strong when the pressure mounts.
Coaching Corner: Fourth Quarter Planning
Think about a current challenge you’re facing. If this were the “fourth quarter,” what would be your strategy to finish strong? What resources do you need? What mindset will serve you best? Consider creating your own “recipe”—a collection of quotes, principles, or mental strategies that you can turn to during high-pressure moments, just like AJ Brown does with “Inner Excellence.”
The Victory Formation
As football season kicks off, remember that you’re not just watching a game—you’re witnessing masterclasses in teamwork, resilience, preparation, and the power of fresh starts. The lessons playing out on that field are the same ones that can transform your own life.
Whether your team wins or loses this season, whether your personal goals come easy or require overtime, the real victory is in how you show up, how you support your teammates, and how you handle both triumph and defeat.
So, grab your jersey, rally your team, and remember: every day is game day when you approach life with the heart of a champion and the wisdom of a seasoned coach.
Game Time