Like some of you, I watch a lot of sports on TV. I listen to sports when I’m in the car. I’m kind of obsessed, I know. Because of this, I hear a lot of different announcers – good ones, bad ones, smart ones, dumb ones. But it’s only over the last couple of weeks – yep, World Cup again – that I’ve come to appreciate how the careful, clever use of language can enhance the event experience much as food is enhanced by the cook who knows how to season it properly. And that’s something to keep in mind for business as well! Continue reading
Tag Archives: Soccer
Lessons from The Midfield and The Back
A week in and I hope you’ve had some time to check out the World Cup. Aside from the constant droning of those horrible vuvuzelas, it’s been pretty good so far.
As I was watching a game, I had a couple of thoughts about what was going on the pitch and how it related to business. I know – only me, right? But at some point in almost every game you see the ball being passed back and forth without it being advanced. Generally this occurs in the defensive end or maybe in the defensive midfield. Lots of activity, very little being accomplished. Sound like any offices you’ve seen? Continue reading
Filed under Helpful Hints, Thinking Aloud
The World Cup and Your Style
I love the World Cup. Besides being a month-long celebration of the world’s most popular sport, it’s always great to watch any sport being contested at the highest levels (as an aside, this is also my favorite sports week since the U.S. Open happens on one of my favorite golf courses but more about that later in the week).
What’s really intriguing, especially for the millions of Americans who don’t watch soccer on a regular basis, is how you can really tell the different teams by their styles. In fact, if there is anything really noticeable about the US team, aside from how good we’ve become, it is that I don’t think we have a real distinctive style which, in itself is our style. In a way, that totally makes sense. After all, we are a nation of immigrants playing a game invented elsewhere and we’re amalgamating the styles from all those nations. But there are some business lessons here as well. Continue reading
Filed under Helpful Hints, Thinking Aloud
Consult Keith 