I am not a big fan of basketball (being short and slow may have something to do with that), but I do like March Madness. Now, some people like the NCAA Tournaments because they get to see the best take on the best, but I like it because of the upsets. We don’t know who it will be in 2021, but there will be some David who will bring down a Goliath on their way to a Cinderella season. (I know, I mixed a lot of metaphors on the way to that cliché; but it just seemed to flow.) What makes March Madness so special is that, not only do underdogs get a chance to take on the big names, it is done in an environment that spotlights their talents. These aren’t some games played in a half-full arena on a Tuesday night in the middle of a cold spell, these games are played out on a national stage that showcases everyone’s talents.
The reason I am bringing up this event isn’t to get you to tune into the games this week, rather it is to see if we can use these tournaments as an example to encourage some of our own underdogs in real life. Do you have someone in your classroom that has a hidden talent, but to this point they haven’t had the chance to share it with their world? Do you have somebody in your office who has a better idea, but hasn’t had a platform to present it? Do you know of a group in your community who has an answer to a social issue, but hasn’t had the funding to get it off the ground? Often, all successful people need is someone to give them a chance and a venue to share their talents.
I hope your team does well in this year’s tournaments, but I am even more excited about what else might come to the forefront if we just give them a chance. Who knows, maybe we do have a David or a Cinderella in our midst.