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Ohio State won the National Championship. It’s so amazing and so exciting that there really isn’t much more to say than that
Alright, maybe there is. Against all the odds, the Buckeyes won – and then some. Not being a football enthusiast myself, even I couldn’t take my eyes away from Monday’s game. This is for two reasons: first, as the kid that was always picked last in gym class, it’s always encouraging when the backup’s backup (or perhaps the underdog to the underdog) makes all the difference in a team.
On a more serious note, though, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen because the Buckeyes’ season and stunning victory could, if we pay close enough attention, become a parable of Trumbull County’s turnaround.
We, like Ohio State’s team, have faced some significant setbacks. Our first string quarterback, the steel industry, is off the field. Our backup, the auto industry, isn’t doing too hot either. We’re now entering the realm of playing our backup’s backup – small- to medium-sized corporations that employ fewer people than the big guns do.
Ohio State’s victory is unique, in my mind (and again, remember I’m not at all an expert), in that it wasn’t entirely reliant on one player. In an era of sports super-stardom, Urban Meyer rejected the notion of putting all of his eggs in his quarterback’s basket and equipped other members of the team, like the defense, to help achieve victory.
This is an important lesson we ought to take to heart as a community. We have to stop looking for one big corporation – a big, hulking quarterback, if you will – to save our community. Instead we have to build a team that brings different skills to the table to work together for a common victory.
This is why organizations like the incubator in Youngstown are so important; they hold as their values what coach Meyer so effortlessly embodies, which is equipping people to do their work exceptionally well. The more we can become a community of empowering small business owners to take risks and make our community and our city a better place for everyone, the easier it is for us to get closer to making the economic touchdown we all seek.
What made the Buckeyes so wildly successful this season, though, can be summed up in one word: momentum. Despite enormous setbacks that made the nation write off this team, the team never lost a driving energy that took them all the way this season.
Here is the secret to maintaining momentum: when setbacks present themselves, they simply need turned into an advantage. And, when detractors raise their heads and try to slow down, you either ignore them or kick them off the train, so to speak. Somehow Urban Meyer successfully helped his team ignore the negativity and see their detractors’ voices not as prophecy but as a challenge.
In Trumbull County, we have more than our fair share of detractors and critics. Sadly, their voices are often louder than the voices of encouragement and empowerment (I have more than once been told that I’m wearing rose-colored glasses when I pen these columns). In order for us to move forward, to achieve victory as a community, we can either ignore those voices of ugliness or see them as a challenge.
Simply put, the Buckeye’s win is more than an athletic event worth celebrating with a T-shirt. It’s a parable, even a prophecy, that shows us a way forward. It’s time for us to double down, work harder, and let our challenges become something we can use to our advantage. As for those of you who don’t believe we can do it-get out of our way. A win is coming!