Created to Be
The Created to Be podcast is hosted by Bethany Pigott, Justin Pigott, Darius Brown, and Brandi Morgan. Episodes incorporate what’s happening in FCA at Mississippi State, fun and lighthearted conversations that help you get to know the hosts and their guests, and real-life topics and themes being discussed with coaches and athletes.
Created to Be
FCA, Acting in Sports, and Focus
In this episode of the Created to Be podcast, Bethany, Justin, Darius, and Brandi kick off season three with a new show format featuring updates about FCA at Mississippi State, trends in FCA and college athletics, a new segment called "The Stretch," and conversation around the topic of focus and distractions.
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Welcome to the Created To Be podcast. I'm your host, Bethany Pigott, and we're back for season three, which we're super excited about. Personally, I'm super excited because I'm not the only host this season. We've got three other people with me, including my husband, Justin. You wanna say hey?
Hey. I hope I don't screw this up.
We've got Darius Doc Brown.
What's going on?
And Brandi Morgan.
Hey.
And they're all excited to be here. Right, guys?
Yeah. We're excited.
We're excited. Well, we had a great time interviewing, um, athletes last season, the past two seasons on the podcast. So if you want to go back and listen to those, they're really great, uh, for supplementing your walk with the Lord, um, athletes just talking about how they walk with the Lord and what that's like for them, specific practices, things like that.
But we're kind of making a turn, a big turn with this podcast to change it more to a show and have more of a format. So y'all will kind of pick up on that today as you listen, so that's why we needed some more people. Uh, we will get some kind of rhythm going with the four of us, and we'll interchange with guests and other staff and things like that as we continue to produce this podcast.
But we're thankful, uh, to start up again and to have everybody on board. And so we're just gonna start with talking about why we all chose FCA, and why FCA is important to us and at Mississippi State specifically. So let's go around the table. So Justin, if you want to tell them why, why FCA?
I feel like my why changes a lot. Um, it's, like, evolved in different times of doing this for 14 years. And right now, it's just, uh, I love, I love sports and I love the dynamics of all the different stories of each individual that joins on a team, and this, like, petri dish experiment that takes place of, like, how a team comes together, and, and how the Lord is at work in all those things.
And so you kind of, being in our role, we kind of see the behind the scenes a little bit of it, the dynamics of all the coaches are putting into it, all the players are putting into it, the relational dynamics and the growth and, um, and just what they become.
Um, I love that part. I've just grown to love that even more, and, uh, it's been a great joy to get to hear all the stories of every year
Mm-hmm.
that they want to come in.
Yeah. One thing I didn't mention is that three of us have... athletes here.
Yes.
But we all went to school here. So Darius is a little different because he didn't play sports here, but he is an alum, and sports were important to you when you were in school here. So, but, and then you filled some pretty big shoes when Tyson Cunningham left after serving the team for 10 years and he was a basketball player.
And so now you're serving the basketball team. So anyways, why did you, you know, come on staff with FCA? What drew you to that?
Well, I think it's important for me to make a small correction. I did play sports here, intramural.
That's right. Sorry there.
I
Shout out
great in the intramural. No, but, uh, you know, I'm passionate about God. Um, I love making a difference and I have a great interest in sports. Um, my story is I wanted to be a coach, and when I was coming into Mississippi State as a student, um, one of my relatives was on the, the, the staff for the basketball team, so I was gonna be a manager.
Well, that coach, uh, transition happened, so I wasn't able to do it. But to have an opportunity to kind of have a full circle moment, to do something I'm interested in. Um, I've always been a person that wanted to make a difference, love helping people, and so to have the opportunity to serve with FCA, it just gave me an opportunity.
It combined all of those different things into one hub. And so I've been able to, uh, do something that I love and then even like, you know, Justin was saying, the behind the scenes, uh, being able to see what a lot of people are going through and even how, you know, Christ can make a difference in every area.
Mm-hmm.
You know, and just having an opportunity. I'm a servant at heart, so, uh, FCA just gave me an opportunity, uh, or a greater opportunity to be who I am, a servant, a follower of Jesus, and to tell somebody about him. So, you know, that's, that's, that's a lot of my why.
But I can say this is my second year, so my why is kind ... you know, adjusting as, you know, time goes. So, uh, but it's been great for me.
What about you, Brandi?
Um, yeah, I would say initially I'm kind of with them. Mine has kind of changed. Initially I was just here because I was like, what's better than sports and Jesus? You get to put the two together. And that's still it, but also getting to, like, walk alongside of people and helping them remember, like, what you do is not who you are.
And that's, like, been a big, big, big thing for me because I battled that so long, like, if I was good at my sport, then I was good. And at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. So...
That's good.
Yeah. And I started participating in FCA back in like seventh grade. So I feel like FCA has just been such a mainstay in my formation as a person. Um, and I have, I've had so many... a variety of experiences with FCA, like as a middle school student, but then also starting, like, helping figure out what does that look like to start FCA at our high school, um, me and my sister.
And when I came to college here at Mississippi State, I was 10 hours from home, so I was like, "I gotta find people." And FCA was just familiar to me. And thankfully got plugged in there. Um, and then we've served now at Mississippi College, University of Texas, and Mississippi State.
And like everybody's saying, like, the same things, no matter where you are, like, the athletes and the coaches are dealing with the same stuff. And, um, sometimes it can get a little bit messy when you see the, the behind the scenes. Like, we have all these... You know, it looks all glitz and glamour on the outside, but there's real people in their lives behind the scenes doing all this
Mm-hmm.
impacts and there's a lot of breakdown and stuff. And so FCA is just like you said, Brandi, that, that place where, like, sports and
Mm-hmm.
that was, that was it for me.
Yeah.
Because like all I wanted to do was, like, go outside and play anything, ... put a ball, make me run, whatever. And so it was a, a great spot where those two things could, um, cross over.
Well, and too, I think, like, we put them on a pedestal.
Mm-hmm.
And forget that they are real people
Right.
...
Yeah.
and real life situations going on. Like, their, their day-to-day job is like what we watch for
Right.
... or see for entertainment. You know? So, like, I think about when I was teaching, like, what if somebody followed me around every day and, you know, like, nitpicked everything I or whatever, like, I feel like it-... helps us see them as real people.
So we just wanna talk about, and just share a little bit. So if you're not familiar with FCA or you don't get that inside look at what's the day-to-day for the athlete or the coach, like, what we're seeing. So anybody can just jump in, um, as far as like, well, what are we seeing in the lives of the athletes?
Like, what are you noticing at the huddle? The huddle is just the weekly meeting that we host on campus for any athlete, anybody that's been involved with FCA to just come and join. Um, so Justin, what are you, what are you seeing?
Yeah. I, I think this year specifically, and it's changed so much, like, even in our three years here, um, with the way the portal has changed and the new athletes that are in and out, but the engagement of this group this year is the highest, um, that I have seen.
Um, there is definitely a hunger there to engage, to be a part of something, but there's just an openness. There's a fun with this
Mm-hmm.
we're seeing that maybe we haven't seen in the past. That's been refreshing, I think, to all of us as staff, and it's really just given us more permission to have some fun too. I feel like they're really setting the culture and, and making it pretty special this year.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, I, I was gonna echo that 'cause I was gonna say the same word. Hunger.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, that's what I'm seeing, uh, uh, a hungry group. And then, you know, we have a bigger group, you know, coming in across different sports. Um, and he was talking about the culture. You're seeing so many, you know, different people come from so many different sports, but they all have that same hunger, and, you know, it gives us a chance to, you know, to be able to engage with them and then also to be able to help them while they're also helping us, you know.
So it's, it's that word hunger. That's the first word that kinda came to my mind. And it's, it's also a community. You know, you're seeing relationships form, being built, you're seeing leaders kind of step up, and I, I just feel like anytime you have that atmosphere where God is with everything that they're having to deal with, everything that they're going through, uh, just being a college student, you know, uh, you, you can't put a price on a community, and you can't put a price on when you're around other fellow believers, what that, what that actually do for each individual.
Yeah. And to that point, we were in the cafeteria, um, where all the athletes, um, eat. We try to go weekly, um, Justin and I do, just, uh, to be there and be around, and there was a player, uh, an athlete that came up to us and just said that.
He was like, "I need this every week, and I was I've transferred a few times. We didn't have this, and my family is very religious, but, you know, I didn't have this kind of support." And so he was like, "I have to come. Like, I will be there." Uh, so anyway, that's been...
That was really encouraging to me that night to just hear, like, we're not just saying that, like, they're saying that
Yeah.
... prioritizing FCA, so.
It's a big date night for us.
Yeah.
Date night in athletic cafeteria.
It's the, the best $10 you can spend.
Such is life. There we go.
Yeah.
Yeah. Another thing that's pretty awesome is that two other of our staff, uh, Shayla and Jeremiah Pierce, they have, um, something that they lead with the track team that is... It was just once a month, but there was so much desire to meet together more that the track team really demanded that.
Like, "Let's meet more."
Yeah.
And so that's also a really cool thing to just see, like, "Hey, we, we want this more." And that goes to just show, you know, we're using that word hunger, but, like, that's just an example of, like, that happening that you can see. Like, it's not something, again, that we're just, like, saying, but, like, we're actually...
We are seeing that these things are taking place.
That's what I was gonna say is, I feel like they're all searching, but, like, searching for freedom.
Mm-hmm.
And so, like, that's kind of been a
Mm-hmm
is they're willing to meet up and meet one-on-one or go for a walk or just to, like, make a step in the right direction.
Yeah.
Like, they're, they're searching for it. I feel like that this whole generation is searching.
Mm-hmm.
And I was gonna say, uh, with her saying that, you know, one word was vulnerability. Like, you're seeing them be vulnerable, and I was thinking about, you know, as you was talking earlier, uh, the athletes have so many different people that are looking at them. They're, you know, they're being critiqued in every little thing that they do, whether that's, uh, on the field, off the field, but to have a space where you can just kinda come and unplug from all that and be vulnerable, just be yourself.
Mm-hmm.
Um, that's something that I'm seeing in that room, and I think sometimes some of those smiles we may see in there, they may not even express those smiles elsewhere 'cause everything is all business, but to be to come, have fun, and they... It's competitive with the games we but it's still like a...
It's a loose competitive. It's like they don't have to be so uptight. So, uh, that word hunger and vulnerability, that's, that, those are two words that stands out to me each week that we see, and it kind of pulls us to be more vulnerable.
Right.
Like, as they're being vulnerable, you like, "Well, while they're uncom-" Let us also continue to be that way with them, um, so they can know that this is a real safe space, but we are real people. We see them as real people and not just as, as, you know, as Brandon was saying, as an athlete, but as a person.
Yeah. And one big change we made this year that we didn't Like, it wasn't the structure of our weekly meetings before, it was to change the small groups in the huddle.
Yes.
So we do have a lot of things going outside of that weekly meeting, but empowering the leaders to be able to be those small groups, or really not. I mean, they're, they're coming to us very equipped, and so it's like, "All right," like, "Y'all go do this." And so that vulnerability, that hunger, you're ...
the athletes are coming. Like, at first I was like, "Oh, man. Are these people," you know, are they gonna be scared? They're gonna come to FCA one time, wear their name tag, and then be like, "Dude, they're making us talk every week, I'm out." Um, but they've been coming back and that's one thing that, uh, when I've talked to leaders, like, they're saying, "No, everybody in my group talks." Or, "If they don't talk this time, like, they talk the next time."
That's what I was gonna say, like, somebody like me, that would be very intimidating. But I've even seen, like, teammates saying, like, "I got you." Like, before they went into this small group. Like, "I got you." Like, they're gonna kind of stand in that
Yeah.
until they feel comfortable enough to voice what they want to say.
Yeah.
And that's kind of cool too. So that feels community.
Yeah, I mean, I think that, and, the, the awkwardness of, like, seeing someone say that you recognize their face 'cause you came to a huddle, but maybe you were in a small group. And so then maybe now in the cafeteria you're like, "Oh, hey, how's it going?" So just building, I think that that's what's exciting to me, um, from the leaders.
We're trying't do that more with the leadership team, letting them engage more, but then also at the huddle. Like, what that can become. Just as they're out and about and living their lives, they cross over so much more than just on a Monday night. So we're, like, giving them stuff to go and, like, talk to each other about that they can be familiar with.
So, that's, that's exciting, and we'll have more stories, I think, as the weeks go by of what that's looking like. Um, but some upcoming events that we have, one in particular, Brandy, do you want to talk about? On November 22nd?
Okay, yeah. We're gonna have FCA open pickleball tournament. We'll have doubles playing on November 22nd.
Awesome.
And, we will, um, the teams will be $60 for the teams to play. Also, we'll probably have some athletes coming out, some throughout the day. Um, it's just a good time for the community to come together and to support FCA. We're hoping this will be something we can do yearly, and, um, I think pickleball is something that's good for all ages to do and participate in.
And so I think we'll have a good time.
Yeah, so more information will be coming out. We didn't say at any point, thus far, that we do have an Instagram account where all of our information and news normally comes if we're gonna do something. So HillStateFCA_ is where you can find information about that or on our website.
It's not up just yet, but you can look out for that at MSUFCA.org. Um, but we're looking forward to that, and that does benefit Brandy. She is raised, still raising funds to come on full-time. She's real close, um, so come support Brandy, come support FCA. Um, it's gonna be a good time.
And speaking of a good time, we want to introduce a section, segment of the podcast just called The Stretch, where, you know, Justin's gonna describe it. we wanna just take some time to pick something going on in the sports world that we're seeing, because it just deserves a little bit of a stretch, like, to talk it out a little bit more.
So you want to describe that, Justin?
We're gonna take a, take a topic and stretch it a little bit. And, uh, so one of the things that we have seen lately, this is very low-key, fun, not serious here.
Yeah, also none of us are experts here. So
No,
... don't take our comments as ...
Yeah.
All right, so, it could be something inspirational, but it's probably gonna be a lot of fluff. All right? have fun, don't take us serious. Let's live a little, um, that's what this is gonna be about. So we've seen a lot of acting lately in sports. And so it's been very interesting.
If you've, uh, kept up with college football, you've seen Kirby Smart, um, against Auburn, calling a timeout, but then telling a referee, "No, I didn't call a timeout, I was just clapping." And the ref believed him. And poor Hugh Freeze cannot catch a break.
Cannot catch a break.
Once again. And he gives the classic Hugh Freeze face that just ... awful. Saw this just yesterday, uh, NBA kicked off, Kevin Durant, playing now for the Houston Rockets, against the Thunder, all right? This was in, um, right before overtime, because his game went into overtime. He rebounds a ball with, like, two seconds left and proceeds, not looking at the ref, but kind of rubs his hands together like a timeout with the ball in his hands.
But then really kind of faked it and then just kind of was like, "Oh, no." And then the ref just did not see it or acknowledge it. And so if we know anything about that, that's a technical foul, and the game was tied at the moment and OKC would have gotten a free throw and they would've won the game.
It'd would've been a done deal.
Which they did end up winning the game.
They did end up winning the game. So, it did not impact that. Uh, but then that brings up the, you know, the Chris Webber incident as well. In the '93, I think it was Final Four, and they were going to get to the championship, uh, playing UNC and up losing, that was the fab five team where Chris Webber called a timeout.
And they didn't have
The did see it.
The ref did see it, was very
Unfortunately.
he called a timeout. It was very obvious. The whole place erupted, and, uh, and so that was a unfortunately not great moment for Chris Webber. Um, but anyway, so we've seen a lot of acting. And there's been other instances and, and things. So, the question, the question today is, um, is there certain sports that should practice more acting?
What sport would benefit the most from incorporating this into their, like, weekly routine, or, like, monthly, like, in preparations that they actually have, like, acting abilities in order to benefit them?
Hm. I, that's kind of tough 'cause I, I, I feel like a lot of these sports are already doing a lot of great acting.
Mm-hmm.
They're already doing a lot of great acting. You know, you go and nudge a football player on his arm, 270 pound player getting nudged by a 195, 195 player, he falls to the ground, rolls on the floor like he just got his head knocked off. So there's a lot of acting already going on.
Um, I don't know. What you think?
Deep, deep thought.
Well, for me, this is very hard, 'cause I can't stand any of it.
Yeah.
Well, I was gonna say.
At Like, this is, this is a major stretch for me. For this topic, 'cause I'm like, just play the game, you know? Enough of all that fluff. And then, you know, we got LeBron, they call him, other people call him Le Flop.
Yeah.
Um, and, I'm, I'm not saying that, but don't be offended if you're a LeBron fan out there. um, yeah, you just see so much. I saw a great clip the other day of a referee throwing a, throwing a flag and it hit the football player and he just fell down, like, just so dramatically.
Like we did.
he'd been shot. Like, "Oh!" Um, so that's funny. That makes it
what I was gonna say, I found that one funny 'cause he was playing. He wasn't trying to get a call.
He wasn't trying call.
and then we remember, oh, it's a game.
Yeah.
Yes, this is fun.Um, you know, so I think acting in that regard is a lot... is good. But man, everybody's trying to get a competitive
Hey, yes.
... some kinda edge. And they have to make rules against this. So now they're penalizing you if you flop, you know?
Yeah. What I think is great when it benefits your team, but it really sucks when it doesn't.
Right.
Like, if someone does something and your team is the actor and they benefit from it, you're like, "Yes." But if you on the other side of that stick and someone does something and it's like, "Oh my..." Like, we literally gonna let that go? Like, and especially watching sports, like he's talking about the competitive advantage.
I especially playing basketball, you see it all the time. I mean, just a shoulder rub and I done got knocked out, you know? You... And you... And the instant replay makes it worse.
Oh, yeah.
'Cause, 'cause you think
It's so bad.
when you look at how they act, you're like, "Man, he really got hit." And then when the instant replay comes, it's like, "He didn't even get touched." But he know how to, know how to make it look,
Well, let's think of the sports here, okay? So Brandi, you play soccer.
Yeah, I said men's soccer does not need any acting. If they did, they're already professionals.
Yeah. But
Really?
How does that come... Yeah, how does that come like...
Especially like, not necessarily MLS professional, but like when it comes World Cup time and stuff, it's terrible. It's awful.
Wow.
And we should say Brandi played soccer too. I don't... We didn't go around and really talk about like our, our area or whatever that we're covering. Um, Dan was talking
Brandi, Brandi, did you flop at all? Did you ever sell it?
Oh, absolutely not.
You've never flopped?
You're a purist, purist too?
Yeah, no.
Okay.
But what about, um, like where is this coming from? This is just like the players or like do coaches encourage you to like embellish or...
I mean, I don't know.
Just, intuitive?
I
never heard a coach tell somebody to, so I wouldn't know.
I, I think the times have caused things to shift.
Mm-hmm.
I think with the, the, the, the changing of the generations, 'cause you're seeing a you're seeing it now a lot more than what you've seen it in the past. Like, so I think sometimes it is players. I think sometimes coaches kinda do a little something to kinda incur it because like you said, you're trying to get a competitive advantage and it's nothing like getting into someone's head.
When you know you've got in someone's head, it's like, "I can do this," and this really sets them off, you know? So, I do think it's the, the, the changing of times that cause things to get a little better. Now, I don't know if y'all seen this one, you was talking about the time-outs, when, uh, this was years ago, Jason Kidd was coaching and he didn't have a time-out, so he had, uh, some Gatorade and he ran into a ...
to stop the game.
Oh wow.
Yes.
He, he, he... So he ran into a play, he's like, he made a mistake and
he whacked the cup out of the
Yeah, yeah. And, and, and it caused the, the, the game to stop. So it's like, you talk about that competitive advantage, you know, he's trying to do whatever we can do, uh... I mean, that's just the nature of, of sports now but...
Well, speaking of coaches though, I was thinking about this, is that like coaches, I mean, I think that they do this, y'all can tell me, but like, that they will sometimes like get super upset like just to get their
Yes.
like to psych out their own team. Like they might get thrown out of a game or something just to like... That happens too, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah.
You think so?
Yeah.
Like do you think in baseball, like do you think that this applies to baseball at all? Like how do people act in baseball? You can't really... I mean, if you get hit maybe with a ball, can you be dramatic? Like what is
Oh, definitely. Yeah. If your best player gets hit on an inside fast ball, yeah, you can stir the pot a little bit with that and try to get in their heads. Um, so one of the big things in baseball, one of the great acting deals that we were taught to do to sell it is like, so if there's a check
Oh.
on a strike
Mm-hmm.
it's the part of the game. So I think there's, there's a
Okay,
where things are part of the game and when things are dangerous. Flops in soccer lead to out of control.
Yeah.
Like games, refs lose control. I think flops in basketball, I think you lose fans with some of that, in my opinion. We can talk about that too. But with the baseball side, when they... when there's a check swing on a strike three, um, and so he may have gone, he may not have gone, they're going to the umpire at first base or third base to get to see the like the call, did he go or didn't he?
When that happens, the catcher is really told to really sell it and be like, "Hey, did he go?" You know, and then as a dugout, active dugout member, all right, you're going, "Yeah, he did. Yeah, he did." And you're, you're bouncing
Yeah.
... and screaming, you know? And so the bigger production that you put the more pressure it's on the umpire to go, "Well dang, did I miss that?"
Yeah.
"Did he really go?" You know, and so there's pressure there, and so you can try to sway an
Yeah.
to, uh, to feel the
I've really
can sell it well.
... like that.
Yeah. So there's certain things that you can sell.
Okay. This is one about baseball too that I was conflicted by, but I know that you would also say it's part of the game, is that the catcher frames pitch.
Mm-hmm.
That blew my mind.
Yeah.
That's also kind of a little bit... I mean, it's not... it's a skill. I mean
It's a skill. You're making the pitch look better than it actually was.
Right. it's... I
Yeah. Well, there is a player that actually did this in center field, so you have a sac fly that happens, all right? Somebody on third base, outfielder catches the ball, he's gotta go home to throw the guy out or try
I
depending on where it's at. One center fielder gets up there and dekes the guy, like goes up like he caught
Oh, wow.
and the timing was off, but the, the player just read it like he caught it, and then he catches it like a second... ... after. So, the player's already running like he caught it. He's a couple of steps down the line, realizes that it was caught. He has to go back and then run back, so it's a double play.
Wow.
They get out. It was a great play. So, it's hard to do that. So, when you can sell
Exactly.
you're trying to find ways to sell it to fool the eyes a little bit and make them read the ball,
Okay, so you're saying that's okay. That's part of game.
I think that's totally a part of the game. It's a part of the game.
look at the party animals.
Well, see, but there's
I'm picking.
But there is a place there, okay? Is this losing fans? Is some of this stuff, the way things have been played, the way the game's changed, NBA's not getting as many fans as they used to.
No.
Okay.
It's dropping, yeah.
MLB, MLB went through a drop after the steroid era. Because everybody wanted to see the Bomb.
Yeah.
And it was really fun to watch. Um, but
Oh, but that's a good point. It's very disappointing when you think something is legit, and then you find out, oh, these guys were
Yeah.
steroids the whole time. Whatever it may be. Like, that's a disappointment as a fan.
Oh,
Like, when you're like, "This was fake?"
Yeah, yeah.
this was just a ruse?
It can take the life out of you you're not careful.
Yeah.
Well, but to me, that's acting in a different way. Because it's more of like a, not a trick, but kind of a trick or a skill.
Mm-hmm.
Because in baseball, you don't really do, like, you don't put moves on people like you do in soccer. So, that's, to me, that would be equivalent as putting a move on someone.
Yeah, maybe so.
That's what we call it in soccer.
Well,
Maybe
One thing we can say is acting is a part of sports now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, you're if you're gonna watch games, whether it be football, basketball... Now, Justin is helping me a lot with baseball 'cause I'm not the biggest baseball guy. I've seen certain things, but I say that 'cause like I think about something in football as simple as a guy makes a catch, but he's going to the ground and he just get up saying, "First down." And the instant replay shows he clearly dropped the
Right.
but because of how he's acting, they just move the chains and keep on going. You know, it's like, so those are certain things that you see where acting is a part of it. I think now it's to the point where it's like, well, since we know that this is a part of it, how can we use this
To
the best, to our advantage?
Yeah, also with the acting thing, like, the, I know that fans get really irritated with so many replays. But I mean, it's kind of...
Necessary.
Yeah, I mean, it's like, it's kind of as a result of all this embellishment.
'Cause I don't wanna do this, but it's like last week, we lose a game to Florida, but the field goal, to me, it looked like it went over the upright.
Mm-hmm,
But the ref says he missed it and there's no replay.
Yeah.
and that's where you're talking about, like, sometimes like that's where you need replays to say, okay, we can't challenge that 'cause we end up losing by two points. He gets that I'm just saying you never know, like...
Yeah. And clarity on that, apparently if the ball, the ball goes over the
Oh.
it has to be a full, the full ball needs to be on the inside of the upright.
Oh.
To be in. So, if it's even just a partial, it doesn't matter 'cause it's over the upright.
Gotcha.
'Cause they can't, they can't dictate if went... That would've hit the inside of the upright, it would've bounced in. You really
Gotcha.
So, it would
Gotcha,
an advantage to kick over it.
It's not like other
Yeah.
it's on the line, it's in.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah,
That's unfortunate.
Yeah. It's unfortunate. So, okay, back to the question, okay? I mean, is acting good for sports? Is there other sports that should be doing it more? Um, I don't know.
I don't really see that. Like, what's the purest, what's the purest sport where it doesn't, you can't really embellish it? Can you act in golf?
That's what I was thinking.
Well, that's individual. I, I think team sports.
Tennis, I was gonna say tennis. Can you act in tennis?
You can act a fool in tennis. I've seen that. Boy, I've, I've seen plenty of that, man.
Yeah.
Um, but...
I guess if you're calling your own shots, like if you're calling, you know, if you don't have a... I mean, that would be not the college level though. Like, normally, you have somebody call the game.
Well, difference between act and, like, personality, all right? I mean, I'm thinking of track. You can't really act in track, but I'm like, Usain Bolt? I wanted to watch that dude because I just wanted to see, yeah, how he would run, but what is he gonna do next?
And then, yeah.
You know? It was the personality, it was the persona of like what he would do. Hmm.
What's a team sport?
What other team sports have we not talked about that were very...
I don't see it as much in volleyball.
Yeah.
No, 'cause they challenge it.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, you can't really...
What could you do? Acting-wise?
Yeah.
'Cause you're
You're not in contact, right.
contact.
That's part
Right, you're not in contact with the other team, so.
Well, I mean, you're acting, that's another one though. I mean, if you get, if they're spike, you know, they're going to spike it and they hit hands, you know? If somebody's going up to block it, I don't know what the terminology is, I'm not a volleyball guy, but you know, the, the touch and it goes out, it may not touch the hands, but the other side's going, "Oh, there's a touch, touch." You
Yeah, same as your baseball example.
So, it's, it's making them use a challenge, uh, maybe they didn't want to use or influencing the referees in some way. So, you can sell it.
Yeah, but now they have the challenges, so normally it gets, like, mitigated through that.
With, but it makes them use the challenge.
Right, for sure.
So...
okay, one of the things that you, did you, you might have already said, but was about the OSU fan base, what they're doing. Have we mentioned that yet?
No, haven't.
This is a different thing. Like, what
Fans acting.
are starting to do stuff.
Fans are doing more. So like, Coach Gundy got fired at Oklahoma State after being there for like 30 years. Um, he's got some great quotes over the years. And so that team is just not doing very well. And so the fans are taking it into their own hands to make it entertaining.
If I'm gonna be here, we're gonna do something fun. So it started with, um, from what it, what we could see on video, one guy taking his shirt off and going to section 231 that's empty. waving her shirt around. And then it turned into three or four, then it turned into about 20, and then it turned into the whole section and you could see them all filtering over the way the video was.
It was just amazing. You should look it up.
during one game?
During the game. Yeah, and they're getting smoked, you know.
Yeah.
But they're, you know, passionately waving that shirt around. Bellies everywhere, you know? And so, um, probably quite a few beers in too. But-And then the next day, the next game, they did it again. And so they were faithfully going, but then there showed, there, somebody decided to show up in banana suits.
And so about 150 bananas are, are doing a conga line through,
The stadium.
And then they end up in 231. And so all that's going on. The product on the field is just not very good. So it's distracting all the fans from the product on the field, which is probably good, to get them looking at something else and just enjoying the experience of like, "You know what?
It's a sport. We're not real good. We love our guys, but you know what? We're gonna do something different."
Now he got me wanting to go to Section 231.
No.
Hey. No.
So is this, is this the beginning of something that fans are
realize that they can they can contribute to like what's going on, that people,
And honestly I'd rather that than storming the field, because that's getting dangerous.
Yeah.
Like that, that's really hard to control.
And expensive.
And expensive.
And expensive. Yeah.
And it, it can be dangerous. And, um, you know, you're getting trampled on, and, um, either the fans or the players. And, um, and that's
they could be creating a
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
... for their new coach coming in, for the, you know, going forward, Section 231.
Yeah.
Like everybody knows, you play Oklahoma State, Section 231 is gonna have all of this going
Look, they're gonna be having a good time.
Yeah, regardless.
No matter
Regardless of the outcome.
Well, and Texas A&Ms are be like, "Well, we've had the 12th Man, we've been doing this forever." Yes, you have. But I mean, uh, maybe it'll produce something a little bit, you know, unique at each place. Like for us, it's the cowbell, but maybe we can do something else besides the cowbell, you know?
Mm-hmm. Well, you know, we did have the banana crew for baseball that time.
right.
We did.
You know, so when you said, uh, banana, that's where my mind went to, like, the banana crew. Uh, I feel like every school should try to find something. I feel like even in the midst of everything that's wrong with Oklahoma State, this could be their something that they find to, to kind of build tradition off going forward.
Yeah.
there was another school. Was it Indiana or Wisconsin? Somewhere else that they started doing the same thing.
Wow.
Like they, were like, the guy that was commenting on the was like, "Man, guys couldn't get there fast enough to take their shirts off."
And I think it's very interesting. Most of the... Some of the things we've seen happen within fans comes from like really good things that are happening, like uh, the rally monkey for the Angels back when they won the World Series.
I've
was a thing, and lasted for quite a few years. The banana thing that happened here too. Um, but then there's the things that we're talking about now that happen when sports go south.
Yeah.
And I was thinking, even as a Saints fan when I was growing up, I didn't see this, but they would put bags on their heads. And, uh, Brown paper bags, put holes in it.
Randi expecting that.
And they called themselves the Ain'ts because the
Uh-uh.
were so bad.
Bad.
So fans were like, "I'm here, but I don't wanna be seen." And, um, that's just what people felt. Kind of like this Jets fan, you know?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
"I was born into this. This is... I hate this team."
That was in the game. I hate this team. I was born into this, and I, I'm not gonna ever... I'm always a Jets fan, but like, I, I, just, I hate this team. Uh, uh, game.
But, um...
We all had that moment that he had, so that's why I can kind of sympathize with
Yeah.
We all supported something and it's like, "This is not going good. I'm not changing, but..."
I'm gonna just keep doing this.
You know, and it's tough because, you know, and we can tie it back into the FCA thing. We're on the spot where like we're in the program. You know, we get to serve, we're kind of around it. Uh, we get to know some of the coaches, we get to know the players, and the
Oh, man.
the struggle and what that feels like. And then the keyboard warriors are getting out, you know? And, and you're just encouraging them like, "Stay off social media," you know? Um, and it's tough. It takes some special leadership and a coach to be able to, um, work through that, embrace that, take those arrows so his players can play.
Yeah.
And, um, and so yeah, we're kind of behind the scenes supporting
Yeah.
too. So it, it's, it's messy. It's fun to talk about. We're like, "Man, this is great, it's fun. Bananas, all that stuff." But I know the, the players are just like, "Man, we're, we're not real good. Is this what I signed for?" You know? And I know the coaches are like, "Yeah, we're not gonna be here." And, and that, that's what they signed up for.
Coaches know it. It, it's still tough.
Can you imagine telling somebody, uh, or talking to somebody about the game and they say, "Yeah, we're coming to the game." You're like, "Man, you still supporting the..." "Oh, no, we're coming to see Section 231." "We're coming to see Section 231. They, I heard there's a party over there.
We going to see-"
We can hang out.
Yeah.
And you, it's like, man, as a player, you know, it's kind of like, well, I guess that's where we are right now.
Yeah.
It is a good, um, it is a good response I feel like, as a, as a fan. Like at least it keeps your head above water, maybe a little bit.
Yeah.
Like, you don't get so frustrated 'cause I know
wonder if the guys ever look up to 231. That's what I'm saying.
Like if I was playing, I was on the sidelines, I'd be like, "What is going
Yeah, what going on?
"What's going on up there?"
but like, look, the players do feed off the fans.
Right. Because I just saw this video. It was one of... Oh, it was Jackie Sherrill. He was like so mad, like yelling on the sidelines. And some of his guys were behind him, and it was like, their favorite song came on. They were all like getting down, dancing behind him on the sideline.
Yeah.
I was like, "See, they're still having fun."
Yeah. Somebody was back behind there doing the stanky leg or something, you know?
Yeah.
I mean... And Sherrill's ripping into the referees.
Yeah.
he did.
You know, like, "We like this."
Yeah.
I remember seeing that.
Yeah. Well, that's the stretch. That's what we picked today for the stretch, to stretch out some of this, like, acting stuff we see, good, bad, ugly. So some of this leads us into our final part of our conversation here, which is that we've been talking about the topic of focus at our huddle, our weekly meetings with the athletes.
And Darius just so happened to sit in the right spot in our staff meeting when we began to brainstorm about what we should do this semester, and mentioned the topic of focus and how, um, there's so many distractions, but how if we just focus on the distractions and eliminating those, that can take a lot of time, energy, and a lot of times we don't get anywhere.
So but if we strengthen our focus on what really matters, then that can help, you know, deal with the distraction. So, Darius, you wanna say anything about that?
Yes. Um, I was grateful to have that opportunity to speak on focus. That's a area in my life that I'm still, um, trying to get victory in consistently. Being here, seeing the athletes and everything that they have to go through, you know, and even how they are surrounded by so many distractions.
Um, the Lord really just gave me a lot of insight on the power of focus. And, uh, one of the things that he said is focus is what takes the power out of distractions.
Mm-hmm.
It doesn't completely remove them, but it takes the power out of distractions. And, you know, focus is an intentional decision. It's something that you have to literally do on purpose. And, you know, I think sometimes we don't think about this 'cause, you know, 'cause I was having a conversation with my wife, uh, today, and I was thinking about this.
Sometimes I believe this: your focus has the ability to produce so many great results that the devil attacks us in that area that we won't see or become what we could see or become.
Mm-hmm.
And so I began to just think about how powerful focus is, and that's something that God has given us. You know, it kills that desire to always compare.
Mm-hmm.
You know, it's like, uh, focus helps you to stop looking out the window so much and look in the mirror, and kinda help, you know, to become what we should become. So, you know, I was grateful to have that opportunity to speak to to the athletes and, you know, to to our counterparts, but that was something that also, um, has been resonating with me, you know, to make sure that I'm not, you know, comparing myself, overly comparing.
You know, I we was talking about Joshua and
Mm-hmm.
where, you know, and God said, "I don't want the next Moses, I want the first Joshua." You
Yeah.
yeah, they're both leaders, but two different assignments. To the same group, different assignments. And so that was something that just really resonated with my heart, you know. and you spoke on it earlier, even for me following up Tyson, who was a previous, uh, player, and then stepped right into the chaplain role, had been here, I wanna say, about 10 years, and then you got me coming in fresh.
Um, I don't look athletic like him. I'm not as tall, you know, but it's one of those things where it's like, don't be the next Tyson.
Yeah, right.
Be the first Doc.
Yeah.
That's
Be the first you. You know, and as I started to embrace who I am, even in this particular space, you're able to see just God do things for you and do things even with FCA, do things with where we are to, uh, make sure that we are taking that next step to become what we are, you know, what we are trying to become.
So, you know, that's one thing that, you know, as focus, you know, that's something that is important to me and is, as I studied it, it's kind of like resonating more and more with me.
Yeah.
Well, and I think too with focus, like, we don't... It's intentional where we put our
Mm-hmm.
but we're focusing on something.
Yeah.
Right.
You know? And so if we focus on the negative or focus on all the different distractions we have, it's just gonna create more
Mm-hmm.
more
Mm-hmm.
... other problems, to say, for us, instead of focusing on what we're called to focus on.
I was sitting in a practice the other day and just heard this coach as he instructed the team say, "Look, when we play simple, we look professional." Like, we look so good. When everybody's doing their job and their role, we look so sharp. But it's when we make things complicated and complex that we just look like the wheels are
Yeah.
we don't know what we're doing. And so I think in the same way you're talking about focus, it's like, especially in our assignments, our identity, and all that stuff, when we're focusing on just what it is that who we're supposed to be, who we're supposed to who we're following, then it just elimi-...
Like it doesn't, like you said, eliminate all the distractions, but it just, it really simplifies everything else quite naturally. And I think that's what was a cool kind of analogy in that moment, listening to what he was saying to the team, because I was like, yeah, like how complicated do we
Yeah,
this following Jesus thing, you know? Just believe and follow. Like, it's really not that complicated, um, and we look the best, like we respond the best, like we're the best versions of who we were created to be shout out to the name of this uh, whenever we're just doing that.
But then if you're not, you know, if you're outside of your lane or outside of your role and you're comparing and you're saying, "Oh, I gotta be like Justin," or, "I gotta be like Randy," you know, it's like you can't be that person that you're supposed to be, and then you just, your li-...
I think that it can invite that distraction into your life.
Yeah.
And it just makes things complex. Like, I'm creating my own
Definitely.
Yeah.
... of problems that brings on the anxiety and all that stuff.
Well, and it, like Darius said, I think you might have said it whenever you spoke, but like, what are we missing out
Mm-hmm.
what God has for us, like, if we're trying to live in those other lanes?
Right.
... if I just focus on my lane, then there's so much that He gives to me.
Right.
Yeah. It makes me think of when I first got here as a freshman, ended up redshirting my first year. And the reason I redshirted, um, I think part of it is I just wasn't good enough yet. The thing that impacted me the most was the speed of the game.
Everything was fast. Like, I had to get the sign, I had to know how many looks, I had to... All the different things that were going on in the game, they were just too fast for me. It was too much for me to take in. And I think that's really what we're talking about.
... as you step into this, this tension of, man, everything's so loud. There's so much stuff going on. When we really just follow and, and less is more, and we realize, like, what's pushing, like, what's my identity, what are the things that I really need to focus on? All the other things get real
Yeah.
... and get lesser and lesser. And so now, like, I remember my next year when I came back, the game was not too fast anymore. You know, you grow, your, um, things are starting to get off. You just, you don't think about certain things like you used to. They used to be a bigger deal.
Comparison used to be a bigger deal. Um, your mistakes, you used to think about a lot more. Now, you don't. And so, those things just get a whole lot quieter. And so now, you're able to thrive in the moments.
Yeah.
You're able to be present where you are.
Mm-hmm.
You're able to experience all that you need to experience.
And celebrate wins from others too.
Yes.
not lose it in comparison. That's hard to do.
Oh, yeah. Um.
Have any of you... I don't know, this might be a weird thought, but I've, uh, like, you meet older people who just, like, could not care less about what people think of them. And I remember being younger than I am now. And I would talk to those people, and I would just leave being like, "God, why can't I just do that?" Like, "Can I just, like, fast-forward my brain to, like, that point and be like, 'Look, when you're 60, Bethany, you're not gonna care,' so just not care now."
Yeah. So you're saying that we just need to be a bunch bunch of unfiltered grandparents?
Right. Right. Just walking around like, "We don't care what the heck you think us."
What the fuck are you wearing, you know?
Right, right, right, right, right.
Well, I think it goes back to what she was talking about, the, the more you simplify it, the better it looks.
Mm-hmm.
I think sometimes we try to make the distractions a part of our process as opposed to removing
Yeah.
... by, like she was saying focusing, like Brandon was saying, focusing... We're gonna focus on something. Focus on the, the, the most important thing, and everything else, it just starts to kind of go away. I was thinking about are we trying to focus through distractions instead of focus ...
distractions.
Yeah.
And sometimes when you... 'Cause I, I look at a lot of what I do and how I move, and sometimes I'm trying to factor the distraction into my
Mm-hmm.
as opposed to when you're talking about some of our, I call them seasoned people, the older people. When I kind of... When you look at them, it's because they get it. People are gonna talk about you if you do. They're gonna talk about you if you don't.
Right.
They're gonna... Some people are not gonna agree with you. They're not gonna like what you say. So it's, at this point, it's not, "I'm trying to do it for them," "I'm doing this for me." I don't want that.
Yeah, yeah,
And so I feel like because they have simplified it, they have kind of gotten to the point where they fully understand what it's about that helps them to not be so swayed by all of the things that are surrounding them. Sometimes it's almost like, "Do you even know that this, this person is there?
I don't like her." "You know, she's standing right there," like... But it's, it's, it... And I'm not saying we should just go around telling people we don't like them.
Right, right, right.
But I'm saying they are at a place where they have literally simplified a lot of things. And I think that that is the challenge, like, for us to, uh... When you're talking about focus, to me, that's what focus does. It simplifies everything. Like you were saying, as a baseball player, you, it, it's a number of things that factor into you having to red shirt.
But when you simplify it and say, "Okay, I gotta do this one thing at a time. And as I adjust to this, I'm gonna be able to..." You know, in, in, in today's time, that's hard.
Mm-hmm.
'Cause, 'cause you got athletes worrying about, "I gotta play as a freshman."
Right.
Or, "I'm seeing what this freshman is doing, and I'm not doing it. I don't wanna lose my scholarship." ... with NIL, "I don't wanna get, you know, recruited over." So, a lot of those things cause them sometimes to, uh, speed up a process. But when you simplify things... I, I remember, uh, when me and my wife first got married.
I was like, "How am I gonna do this, like, for 20 years? 10..." You know, 'cause you see people... How? And I remember God telling me, "You do it one day at a time."
Mm-hmm.
You, you... I'm worrying about the, the, the things I'm seeing people go through it 10 and 15 years. He says, "One day at a time leads you up." So it's simplifying, focusing on not the overall thing, but, "If I can just focus on this one day, this one step, eventually everything that I'm supposed to get out of this process, it'll come." But that's the challenge, to still everything and focus on, you know, what's important.
Okay. This might get us on a tangent, but I think that something that definitely I've done before and then but just also seeing maybe as potentially something that athletes could struggle with, is like if a coach or an authority figure, somebody in your life, maybe it's a boss, like, tells you just do these things, these whatever things.
But then you want something beyond what they've told you these things are gonna accomplish. And then you go outside of those things. And then you have anxiety and you have chaos, and then you want to, like, try to control it all. Like, just how much of that I'm contributing to?
Yeah.
Like, I, if I would have just done the few things that I was told to do. You know what I'm saying?
Yes. I would have been... Well, I think for a lot of athletes, um, what you're saying there, there's a scripture that says, "Be not weary in well doing." I think, like, when I consider that for me, it was like... ... I learned that it's like what you're saying, a lot of my weariness came from my own ambition.
Right. Yeah.
You know?
Right.
It's, it's like I said, stepping outside of what the coach is telling me, or the authority figure. Like, that's when I realized where my anxiety was coming
Right.
was my own ambition. And so, that's where the
That's what I was gonna say.
Uh, yeah, the trust come in. Um, trusting the process, trusting the person that is helping me in the process, who I have to understand that they have... No, they have not seen me before, but they have seen my situation before.
Mm-hmm. That's good.
I have to lean, you know, lean into that. But sometimes our own ambition, sports, life, everything, a lot of times that leads us sometimes into anxiety or leads us into weariness that causes us sometimes to make our own process a little more challenging than it has to be. And if you're not careful, for some people, they, it's, they never recover from that.
So you have to... You know, like, I don't wanna chance it doing something, doing too much and putting more on ... I can bear, when I can just learn... I have to learn to trust those around me.
Yeah. For sure. And sometimes in just walking with the Lord, it's the same thing. Like, there'll be a couple of things Lord makes you do in a certain season, and it's like, okay, I gotta focus on this. But then if you're challenged by other people, or you're comparing, or all this other stuff, like, yeah, it's like you, you end up bringing that into your life, um, and then you're scrambling or you're stressed or, and, or you're, like, spilling that onto other people.
Um, so yeah. Any other thoughts on that?
I think at the MC, one of the Mississippi College football coaches, when I was there as a chaplain, I would hear him at practice all the time. He was like the DC at the time, defensive coordinator. he would just be like, "Do your job." And he would just go crazy, "Just do-"
Do your job.
Because, I mean, if anything on defense breaks down, it's because somebody didn't do their job.
Yeah.
You know? Or it could be the perfect play for them calling it, whatever it may be. But still, um...
Well, and I think too, like, immaturity, like age-wise, you're full of passion. Like, you want to do...
Like, you have these big dreams and stuff, but like, how do I really put that into place? You know? You need to, like, trust the people above you to help you put that into place a lot of the
That is totally the
Yeah.
whenever you're younger. You don't have the experience, but you have all this
Yeah.
energy for it.
The zeal.
Yeah.
zealous.
Yeah, yeah. Um, so what do you decide what's worth focusing on? We've talked about that a little bit. I think at the huddle, maybe that was a question. What do you personally decide? Like Darius, as you talk about, like, um, you know, working on that in this season of your life, like, what is worthy of your focus, you know?
I'm not trying to be deep, but God.
Yeah.
I mean, I say
Such a church answer, Darius.
I gotta be honest. Can I be honest? Can I be honest? Uh...
Here it comes.
no, I... It,
Tell us.
it, it just, it goes back to what you said, like, it's simple from the simplicity of literally focusing on God.
Mm-hmm.
And when I'm... What... The reason why I say that 'cause he literally knows everything that is going on in, around, and through my life. You know, and one of the things he used to always tell me is, "Don't let the process beat you. Let it teach you."
Mm-hmm.
And a lot of times what helped me give myself to that is being open to him. He... I think about, you know, the scripture says, um, "In all thy ways acknowledge him and he'll direct your path." Because he knows everything that's going on in my life, he tells me what to do and how to handle every situation.
You know, whether if... I'm not... I'm saying if I'm an athlete, he'll tell me, "You gotta trust more."
Mm-hmm.
"You, you're, you're very zealous, but being zealous is gonna take you outside of the spirit of what I'm trying to produce in your life right now, what I'm trying to get out of your life." And I... So I say that for me, the focus a lot of times is God, because he makes everything else look the way it's supposed to look.
He filters through the
Mm-hmm.
... the insecurities, the, the distractions, like. And I'm saying as a I'm a, I'm a husband, I'm an insurance broker, I work here through the LCA, I'm a chaplain here, um, serve the youth at my church. So what I'm saying is, I have so many different areas that I'm having to serve, but God, every time I seek him, he never lets me down in no area, 'cause he knows what he's put on me, you know, to, uh, what he's called me to do.
So to me that's simple. You know? If you focus on God, and making sure that I'm in communion with him, I'm in step with him, he's gonna help you in every area. it doesn't matter what your life is presenting to you, he has the answer for it all.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. And there's peace there.
Yep. And peace.
And that's where peace is.
Mm-hmm.
And it's just... And I think that's the barometer. I mean, if I'm swirling in some way, I am stepping out and stepping into things that I shouldn't be trying to
Yeah.
I can't control.
You can't control. You're right.
You know? And I was thinking, as you, as you focus on the Lord, time grows very, very loose. Controlling that, you can't control it. But man, we come in with these expectations, especially as college athletes, of like how this is gonna look. "This is my first year, this is my second year." And the more we focus on the Lord, the, the more and more we just let go of time, and we start trusting the process, and we start trusting the people that God's put around us, and we start becoming more vulnerable, and we start letting loose of those things, we start experiencing more peace, and we start growing as people.
Mm-hmm.
And yeah. And then, then the sports thing becomes, you ... a whole different perspective.
A whole different perspective.
So, yeah.
Which I think control is an illusion anyway. Right?
Yes, yeah.
We'd like to think that we can control things, but...
What are we really controlling?
It's an illusion. Yeah.
Yeah.
It's just a distraction think that way. Um, one of the things I looked up real quick was just like a... Or what studies are there on, like, focus and distraction. And on this one particular study, it's called The Lost Focus Report.Um, but it was talking about now, I don't know what this even means, like, in the grand scheme of things.
But that, uh, attention spans have gone from, like, 12 seconds to eight, so I guess we're losing focus by the second. I don't know. I don't know what that means practically, but I have realized, like, sitting in practices though, you know, you have a game that's, say, four... I watch basketball lot, so 40 minutes long.
And it's like who, what, what players can be focused and disciplined for the longest period of time, I think wins the game.
Yeah.
You know? That's just a theory. I don't have proof of that. But you know, like, you see these, you know, like, the longer in practice that a player can engage and focus and repeat the same thing over and over and over with the same amount of energy and discipline, they're gonna have, obviously, a better outcome.
But you can start seeing when teams lose that, you know? It's like they just wear down, like not just physically, but it's just like they're not running their plays anymore, things are getting crazy, whatever. And I was just thinking about like, for me, something that has helped with my maybe attention span is even, like, stuff like what we're doing, four of us are talking.
How much this doesn't happen
Yeah.
where you just sit around and you're having to
Yeah.
and something where you're actually talking to other people and building conversation, like, that takes focus, and I think that builds something in us that can translate. So I hope that even as, like, athletes come to FCA and they talk to other students and they... Just something as easy as literally, I mean, this sounds so, like, archaic, like, talk to somebody.
Like, stay in a
Yes.
for a little bit. Like, that's gonna help you develop that skill of, like, just staying on task for something, you know? Because even with class schedules, like, how they can choose their class to do their education, they can take an online class. So it's just, like, however distracted you wanna be to complete this, you can do that now.
Whereas you couldn't back in the day. You know?
Yeah.
You could fall asleep. I did that few times in class. I know.
You me? Fell asleep?
I remember, quick story. I had Brit, Lit, or English, something, Literature, like, right after our, like, 6:30 AM practice or something like that, like an 8:00 AM class. And I'm They have, like, the little
Yeah.
a desk. You know, and my book is huge, and I, like, had my elbow on the desk and I just started dozing. And the worst part was, it was, like, a class of, like, 15. It was tiny, you know? And, like, my elbow slips on the desk.
Yeah, yeah.
And then the book goes on the floor. So then I, like, I'm shocked. You know, like, I'm back up in class and then I realize I fell asleep. Um, but yeah. I mean, those are the kinds of things we dealt with. But I mean, like, in every space, there's an opportunity to not focus.
Yes.
And to build that skill.
Well, I mean, if you even think about just watching TV. Like, you don't really have to watch commercials anymore. You you can pick up your phone and look at something. Or you know, like, we used to have to sit through all those commercials.
Oh, I know.
But everything just so fast-paced.
Yeah.
Yes. And then I think about TikTok.
Mm-hmm.
the best videos, or the videos that get the most likes, hits,
Are like 10 seconds.
... the
Yep.
Right.
The, the, the
Eight
And even on, even on YouTube, like, people will take a one-hour, uh, interview and break it down
Mm-hmm.
two-minute segments. And that's their way of kind of getting people to invest. And sometimes you think, "I didn't watch that whole interview." And it's like, no, you did watch it, it just was broken down into three-minute segments. You didn't, you didn't realize it, but it's, it's a testament to our attention spans.
I think about even, uh, like, during COVID where we were having to go home and watch... Uh, for some of us, was watching the services virtually. Well, you think about it, watching it at home and someone might be singing, but I'm gonna go into the
Mm-hmm.
to get a snack. Like... I'm and, and when we, the doors open back up, it kinda impacted the attention span. 'Cause like I've been so used to watching this at home, and after 30 minutes, you know, I can get up and go do... But now I'm back in the
Right.
... like my mind is, is conditioned.
Right.
You know? So, you know, it, it is a real thing that has happened to a, a lot of people, you know? And you know, I see that a lot, trying to just keep people locked in, or focused. And even like you said, just having a conversation with someone without distractions or interruptions, you know, that's a, that's a, a challenge that a lot of us are facing.
But I really don't even know how you fix it, 'cause everything now has started to adjust to
Right.
...
For sure.
attention span.
Yeah.
You know?
Well, that's my pitch for why people should listen to this podcast.
I you.
Is that, you you can go on a walk, you can be in your car, you can be doing chores, you can be doing yard work, whatever, and just, like, act like you're here at the table with us having a good hang, you know?
Having a good
We're just gonna have a good good conversation.
Having a good time.
We're having a good time. So, that's all we have for you today, um, but we hope you'll come back and listen for more. And we'll just keep having, um, some fun stories to share, a little insight, behind the scenes of FCA, but also maybe some takeaways. Um, anybody else have any parting shots of
Any requests for, uh, the stretch of the, of the week, you know? Any come to mind? We
Feel Yeah. Please feel free to comment on an episode, or send Justin an email
Oh yeah, I'll be the contact guy.
I'm just saying that because on our website, it's his email. So, good luck with that, Justin.
Yeah.
We, you know, if we get some good feedback, we can definitely incorporate that and, um, read, read some comments and explore some topics that maybe... But that's the goal too, is that hopefully what we talk about is relevant enough that you feel like, "Oh yeah, I would wanna chime in and say something about that."
Mm-hmm.
Um, and we would love to hear that. So, thanks for listening.
Thanks for listening to the Created to Be podcast. To learn more about FCA at Mississippi State, visit www.msufca.org and follow us on Instagram at HailStateFCA_. If you would like to become a financial partner, visit www.fca.org/donate to sow into the work God is doing through FCA at Mississippi State.