The Power of Story: How I Became an Unlikely Sports Fan

I have a friend who once told me that watching sports is incredible because the entirety of the human experience: work, growth, sacrifice, altruism, suffering, joy, success, defeat, vengeance, celebration, legacy, is on full display, wrapped up neatly in a 2-3 hour window. I told him he was insane.

In college, I decided I was going to force myself to become a football fan. I read up about our football team’s strengths and weaknesses, memorized the players’ names and numbers, and could rattle off statistics pretty impressively, but I was still bored when watching the games. I knew I was missing something—there had to be a reason thousands of people gathered outside in 30-degree weather to cheer on a bunch of people they had never actually met—but for the life of me, I could not find that reason.

Ten years later, something weird happened. I became a die-hard sports fan in a single day. Some close friends recommended that I watch the Netflix documentary series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” I instantly dismissed this suggestion. Of all the sports out there, I thought, motorsports had to be the most boring. It’s literally people driving in loops for hours. No thank you.

Then my kids got sick for about 3 weeks straight. My husband and I were up many nights holding them upright so they could sleep without coughing. Finally, we decided to watch “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” since we could have it on in the background and not have to follow it too closely. We absolutely loved it.

Instead of focusing on statistics, tactics, or the (seemingly endless) rules of the race, the documentary focused on people: the drivers, team dynamics, family legacies, rivalries, and triumphs. I was hooked; I had bought into the story. Each lap around the track was no longer an arbitrary loop, it was a potential for victory, failure, scores to be settled, or a star to be born. We found certain teams and drivers whose stories resonated with us; we were emotionally invested in their journey and their success. We now wake up early on many Sunday mornings to watch the races (two things I never thought I would do voluntarily or publicly admit to).

Long story short: if you want people to invest in what you’re doing, tell them your story. We put a lot of emphasis on Mission and Vision (both of which are incredibly important), but, perhaps, just as important is your story. Why did you start? Where did you begin the journey? What trials have you faced and overcome? What sacrifices have made and what have they taught you? If you want people to know what you’re doing, tell them your mission. If you want people to care about what you’re doing, tell them your story.

Part of what we do at EduCred Services is help institutions tell their story. Accreditation, compliance, and operations work out much better when your team (both internal and external) are rooting for you. Everyone’s story is unique and compelling; sharing yours invites people to become stakeholders in your journey.

“Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.” -Dr. Howard Gardner