John Wooden TED Talk

Wooden, John. (2009, March) John Wooden: the difference between winning and succeeding

[Video File] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html

                This TED Talk was from legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. John Wooden won ten NCAA men’s basketball championships in twelve years and won seven titles in a row. He was a great coach and an even better mentor. In his TED Talk his main message is that you may win but not succeed, and you could lose and succeed. He described in detail his days of teaching English to students and then his career at UCLA coaching. He always wanted his students and players to succeed. His mentality was that succeeding is doing your best. Players and coaches shouldn’t be judged on how many wins or losses they had, but by their character. John Wooden is one of the greatest coaches that ever lived and provided many student athletes with motivation to get better and improve their character. He continues to inspire athletes around the country even with his passing in 2010.

                John Wooden is a great example of a role model.  He is someone that all athletes and coaches should aspire to be like. The TED Talk gave an example of how the sports culture in America is like. Even if the coach wins the game he may not be successful just because the public thought they would win by more. His philosophy is copied by the successful coaches of today, and his teachings on character and trying hard continue today to show student athletes there is more to life than sports. I hope that young athletes take his message to heart and try hard at the sport they love no matter what their skill level is.