Spectators and Players
by Mariah Burton Nelson  

Soon I'll travel to New Orleans to watch the best four women's college teams compete in the national championship. I look forward to seeing the talented players, sold-out house, and passionate fans -- all evidence that women's basketball has soared in the 25 years since I graduated from Stanford. I look forward to attending the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's annual convention.

But frankly, I'm even more excited about a simple round of golf I'm planning to play with some coaches and athletic directors.

I've always been more participant than fan. Show me a great cartoon and I'll take a drawing class. Show me a great book and I'll try to write a better one. Show me a gathering of thousands of athletes and I'll see if I can round up a golf game.

There's a time for watching and a time for doing. Problems arise when people spend all their time spectating, and forget that we are all athletes, all players in this game of life.

Watching is good when someone has talent worth admiring. When there's a cause, a kid, or a team that needs your support. When you're tired and need to sit down.

Doing is good when you want to take a risk, accomplish something, feel useful. Doing is good when you want to get paid, get promoted, get involved. When you grow curious about who you are, and who you could be.

So if you're a college basketball fan, I hope you enjoy spectating. But keep in mind that being a player is generally more fun, productive, and educational than being a watcher. In my experience, doing is usually more worth doing.

Point #1:Watching can be inspirational and exciting -- but is best balanced with doing.

Point #2: If you're spending most of your free time watching, try doing something instead.

______

NEW BOOK about leadership, teamwork, life lessons from sports:
We Are All Athletes