I seem to have many friends and business associates that feel that just because we are Americans we are set. Things come our way because we are preordained or somehow chosen by a higher authority to continually be the leaders in democracy, innovation and wealth. Nothing can be further from the truth and on the eve of the SEC championship football game between the University of Alabama and the University of Florida I wanted to give an example of what could happen.
For generations, Alabama football fans believed they had the best football team in the country. And for good reason. They have 12 national championships and countless SEC championships, all-american players and a vocal fan-base. They had Bear Bryant, arguably the best coach in football. They had tradition and to some that is all they needed, but something happened along the way. College football changed.
To begin with scholarships were limited so the best high school players started going to their competitors schools. Alumni at these schools started to pump money into facilities such as weight rooms, practice facilities and enlarging the stadium. With the growth of multiple sports channels, these same teams started to show up on TV week after week. Assistant coaches with head coaching aspirations, many who worked for the Bear, turned these programs around – turning them into powerhouses.
So what did Alabama do? To start with they languished and watched other programs pass them by. They made bad coaching choices and couldn’t seem to get it together. They rested on past laurels and thought, “we’ll be fine, we’re Alabama.”
Eventually, Alabama upgraded the weight room, improved the practice facilities and enlarged the stadium. Then they went out and spent a load of money on a proven coach who could bring them back. The result, they are more competitive. Their ROI is pretty good seeing that if they win tomorrow they will play for the national championship.
And this story isn’t unique to Alabama, there are many programs that had to change to be competitive in a different football environment.
So what does this have to do with America and sustainability? We are facing a unique time in our history, a fork in the road if you will. We can keep doing things the way we always have or we can accept that the game has changed and we need to improve our facilities and hire the right coaches who will keep us at the top. If we don’t we run the risk of being passed by countries who are continuing to innovate and come up with better, efficient and green products. We run the risk of continuing to be dependent on other countries for our energy needs. It’s not too late but we need to get past this idea that it’s just going to happen.
I do believe that there is something special about being an American. This country was built by millions of people who left their homeland and families to invent a better life for themselves no matter the odds. Some did better than others but that drive was there for everyone. It’s in our DNA.
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