SFL Inspiration
Mother power has been on our mind lately. Maybe that’s because Mother’s Day (with related heartwarming stories) just happened. When inspiring his players, Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski of Duke basketball fame) noted that mothers consistently show up and persevere without complaining, and encouraged his players to do the same.
This followed a story about how his own mother consistently showed up with support and enthusiasm, never taking a day off or acting tired or sick. He famously urged his players to “be as tough as your mothers.”
And sometimes, mothers aren’t able — for many reasons — to do all they want and make tough decisions. LeBron James’ mother was sixteen when he was born and struggled to provide for him. (He had no contact with his biological father.) To provide stability, his mother allowed him to live with youth football coach Frankie Walker who introduced him to basketball at age nine. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Daily Coach newsletter reported that when Kevin Durant received the NBA’s MVP award, he famously called his mother “the real MVP.” Gold medal gymnast Simone Biles was adopted by her supportive grandparents at age six.
We would love to hear about your moms (and dads since Father’s Day is coming up) or parental figures who made a pivotal difference in your athletic careers, so we can share more broadly. After all, it takes a village to support young athletes. Send us your stories to inspiration@sportfuelslife.com.
