Do you know Aesop's Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare? It simultaneously teaches lessons on idleness and perseverance. It gave us the axiom, "Slow and steady wins the race." Look around and you can find evidence of that being true just about anywhere.
I'm a football fan, specifically a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I think the Rooney's, who own the Steelers, incorporate that axiom into the way they run their team. Coaching tenure in the League is a rare thing. Some teams have a reputation for firing a coach almost every year. Others, though a little more patient, won't let a coach go more than a couple of years without results.
In Pittsburgh, they've had 3 coaches in 47 years. And the first two weren't fired, they retired. Now, there were a few bad seasons sprinkled into those 47 years but the owners let the coaches work through those times.
Their philosophy also shows up with how they acquire and retain players. Rarely do you see a case of the Steelers paying big bucks to go out and get the splashy free agent. Rarely do you see a case of the Steelers paying big bucks to keep one of their own.
Contrast that with the Washington Redskins. I hope the deal they made to get free agent Josh Norman works out well for both parties. However, I think too many Redskins fans still remember the Albert Haynesworth debacle.
Human nature is a curious thing. Capitalism can bring out the best in us but it can also bring out the worst. When not pressed on the issue of survival, why do we tend to default to apathy? And when we perceive a competitor has an unfair advantage, why do we tend to surrender in self-pity rather than rise to the challenge?
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