Watching the NBA Finals last night, we were treated to a couple of close-ups of Doc Rivers talking to the floundering Celtics. While unsuccessful at getting his team all fired up, he was able to speak to his team clearly, concisely, and without cursing.
Last fall, I attended a Yale football game and was close enough to the field to hear the coach's pep talk after the first half. I had my young sons with me at the time, and I was shocked at the language used by coach Tom Williams. Frankly, it made me and other parents of young kids nearby quite uncomfortable.
I asked my brother in law about this, as he was a football player, and he told me it was the nature of the game. The stress and intensity of the contest required base and degrading language.
How is it, then, that Doc Rivers can keep his team's attention without resorting to four-letter words? I think that we all could learn from Mr. RIvers' fine example.
