Michael Henderson’s Post

“Every game is life… Winning is fun, sure, but winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never letting anyone down is the point. Play to win, sure, but lose like a champion, because it’s not winning that counts. What counts is trying.” - John R. Wooden (10x National Champion Basketball Coach at UCLA, 3x All-American Player at Purdue) It seems odd to hear someone say that winning isn’t the point, right? Especially if the person saying it is the most decorated college basketball coach in history. But what Coach Wooden is talking about is controlling the inputs. You can’t control the outcome of a game, but you can control your: - desire to win - persistent effort - drive to improve - accountability as a teammate Watching Purdue University lose in the national championship was disappointing (to say the least), but I’m so proud of what this Purdue squad accomplished - especially after the heartbreaks in recent years. Coach Painter’s focus on the inputs has enabled Purdue to become one of college basketball’s elite programs over the past few years, and they took another step toward their ultimate goal this year. Most people don’t realize that it took Coach Wooden 16 seasons before winning his first national championship at UCLA. It took him a while to refine the inputs in his approach to achieve the outputs that make him a legend. Coach Painter just completed his 19th season as head coach at Purdue and here are some highlights (outputs) from the last three seasons: - 2021-22: 1st time being ranked #1 in the country in school history - 2022-23: 1st #1 seed with Painter as the coach, Big 10 Champions, lost in 1st round of tournament - 2023-24: 1st Purdue Final Four in 44 years; first Big 10 team to be ranked #1 for part of 3 consecutive seasons, Big 10 Champions Refinement is needed, but I’m confident we won’t have to wait another 44 years for Purdue to be back on the biggest stage. Focus on the inputs, and winning will come. #BoilerUp #HailPurdue.

Biggest Comeback in College Football History: Top Moments College football has a long history of epic comebacks, where teams have defied the odds and mounted remarkable come-from-behind victories that will be talked about for years to come. In this article, we will delve into some of the biggest comebacks in college football history and relive the thrilling moments that had fans on the edge of their seats. See more... https://lnkd.in/dgzz58ZS

College football rivalry week never fails to remind us of the passion and competitive drive that fuel greatness. While I don’t condone the post-game brawls, I can’t help but admire the sheer determination and pride these teams showed when planting their flags—figuratively and literally. In the business world, we may not get to spike the football or plant a flag in our rivals field, but let’s be real: that competitive fire burns just as hot. Whether it’s landing a big deal, outmaneuvering a competitor, or hitting a major milestone, we all know the thrill of victory. If you’ve got that competitor living inside of you, give this post a like. And remember—rivalries aren’t just about beating someone else; they’re about pushing yourself to be the best. 🏆 #Competition #RivalryWeek #CollegeFootball #BusinessWins #FriedlanderGroup #Sales

As the Penrith Panthers clinched their fourth straight premiership last night, I pondered the goal setting approach they would have used to get there. We know that Ivan Cleary and the Panthers would have set their main goal at the highest point - winning the Grand Final. But they wouldn't have stopped there. This goal would have had a number of sub-goals, or focus points that they could control in order to put themselves in the position to achieve their end goal of winning the Grand Final. Again, this would not have been enough. Each player and part of the playing group would review their progress each week. Were they hitting their focus areas and sub goals? If not, what needed adjusting? This also would have provided the players and coaches to celebrate what they were doing well. In the end, they've won their fourth straight Grand Final. Although our students are not NRL players, the goal setting structure is the same. Your chance of achieving your goals increases markedly if you map out sub-goals and review them weekly. This is exactly what I help teachers, students and schools do. It's powerful to see students taking action to achieve their goals, even though they're not winning premierships. #studentsuccess #goalsetting #futureleaders #academicgrowth

Let's talk about rosters. You may think it is nuance or semantics, but I see a roster limit and a roster cap very differently. Under current NCAA rules, each varsity sport already exists in a world where there is a roster limit. Virtually all programs have more players than they can activate on any given gameday, which is a vital part of roster management and the entire ecosystem of college sports. Take baseball as an example; teams are allowed to have 40 players as part of the overall program, but only 25 can be active for games. Many of the inactive players still play a vital role on the team and are often redshirting or using their opportunity as a walk-on to further their career opportunities. Under the terms of the proposed House settlement, however wobbly its legs may be, college baseball teams would only be allowed a total of 34 student athletes to be on their roster. This is a reduction of at least 6 players per team, and with over 300 teams competing at the Division 1 level, a lot of kids lose their opportunity to play at this level and thus lose out on the proposed revenue share. Another unspoken issue for some college baseball players is the loss of draft leverage if rosters are capped. As mentioned above, many of the inactive players will take a redshirt year. Those guys get in tons of classroom hours and weight room hours. They focus and hone their craft. When they get out there the next season, many are "breakout" stars because of the invisible days they put in over their down year. Depending on their age, they could get two (or more) cracks at the MLB draft with another significant year of college baseball as their leverage. Losing six roster spots to the proposed settlement means less opportunities for stories like this. There are ways for players to increase their value to a team and younger student athletes should begin to consider this. As always, happy to help and provide guidance to anyone interested! 📷 cred:  Library of Congress (Lineup from Bryce Harper's MLB debut) #collegesports #collegeathletes #studentathlete #NIL #NILdeals #NILvalue #recruiting #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz #sportslaw #sportslawyer #sportsconsultant #sportsadviser #sportsmanagement #sportsagent 

The College Football Playoff has turned into an absolute clown show 🤡 🏟️We knew the four highest-ranked conference champions would get automatic byes, but actually seeing Boise State and Arizona State—two teams that no one who watches the sport would rank among the best four in the country—get free passes to the quarterfinals is a joke. 🏟️ Seeing Penn State, with zero ranked wins, rewarded for another year of beating up on mediocre opponents by hosting unranked SMU in the first round, is a joke. 🏟️ Seeing independent Notre Dame, also with zero ranked wins, rewarded for another year of easy scheduling by hosting unranked Indiana in the first round is a joke. 🏈 This isn’t an argument for Ole Miss; this is an argument for the sport of college football as someone who loves it. If the CFP has expanded to 12 teams, then the best 12 teams should be in it. It should be best on best. Right now, at least three of those teams are sitting at home. If that’s the case, what’s the point of playing in a great conference like the SEC? What’s the point of scheduling difficult regular-season games? What’s the point of any of it, besides making your path to the playoffs as easy as possible? I have friends at ASU, Indiana, and Notre Dame; hell like 10% of my first high school's graduating class went to ND. I applaud what coach Cig has done at Indiana, I don't disagree that he's building a legit playoff contending team- but IU is not an objectively better football program than Ole Miss, South Carolina, or UMiami. Something has to change. #college #collegefootball #education

It might be old news that CB Cormani McClain committed to the University of Florida, but his case sheds light on a glaring loophole the NCAA needs to address. A new trend is emerging where top recruits and transfers are joining teams as "walk-ons," while receiving substantial NIL money from the school's collective to cover their school costs. This loophole, used by the Florida Gators in this situation, raises questions about the future of fair play in college athletics. Traditionally, the NCAA allows 85 scholarship spots for football. The Florida Gators have become notable players in exploiting this NIL loophole. A prime example is five-star cornerback Cormani McClain, who joined the Gators not on a traditional scholarship but as a walk-on supported by NIL money. This move allows Florida to bypass the strict scholarship limits and expand their roster beyond the regulated numbers. The NCAA now faces a critical decision: whether to amend scholarship rules to close this growing NIL loophole. However, distinguishing genuine walk-ons from those benefiting from NIL deals is a complex challenge. At the end of the day, this is college football, and schools will do whatever it takes to win. #nil #collegefootball #floridagators #cfb https://lnkd.in/d_Ycr5vJ

The good, the bad, and the ugly from College Football's Rivalry Week. This past weekend was a crazy one in the world of College Football. In a sport well known for passion and fanaticism, the final week of the regular season takes on a whole new meaning as many teams play their most-hated rival. Here are some of our takeaways from an action-packed weekend: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱: 2024 is the first year of the expanded 12-team playoff which added to the excitement in the final week of the regular season. With only 4 playoff teams in previous years, there were only a handful of games that mattered. This year there were many more games that had increased playoff relevance. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗱: Call me a traditionalist, but College Football should be played on Saturday. This year seemed to have a higher amount of games played on Friday, including the University of Georgia-Georgia Tech game. Friday nights in the state of Georgia should be reserved for high school football which is currently in the midst of their own end-of-year playoffs. Scheduling the state's marquee rivalry in direct competition of that seems like a short-sighted mistake that prioritized TV dollars at the expense of the grassroots foundation of the sport. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗴𝗹𝘆: With the heated rivalries, you would expect some passions and tempers to flare up, but for whatever reason, this year seemed to be more hostile and violent than previous years. And what was up with the planting of the flag in your opponents midfield? I get trash-talking and some taunting, but it seemed to be a coordinated trend across the nation leading to multiple fights. I'm sure there will be many in the media who condemn the videos and images, but the hypocrisy is that we'll be seeing some of the footage used as promotions for years to come. #CollegeFootball #FanbaseMetrics #ItJustMeansMore #CollegeFootballPlayoff #CollegeFootballFans #SportsFans

Expanding the College Football Playoffs: Is it Time for 40 Teams? Join us as we discuss the proposal to expand the College Football Playoffs to 40 teams in the near future. We'll explore the opinions of coaches, the current number of teams, and the need for equity in the national playoffs. Find out if this expansion is necessary. #CollegeFootballPlayoffs #PlayoffExpansion #EquityInSports #NCAAfootball #FootballPlayoffs #TeamExpansion #CollegeSports #SportsNews #FootballAnalysis #PlayoffProposal

The MLB Draft is a lifelong dream for young athletes. Factors in deciding to forgo college and sign an MLB contract include social media influence, draft slot potential, and the tier system. Scouts recommend college for less mature players. However, success in professional baseball is not guaranteed, making the decision difficult.... Check out new blog post Chapter 6: Making the Tough Decision: Forgoing College to Sign an MLB Contract!!