The Sports Connection

It is almost redundant to say that there is a connection between sports and business. When we speak about the NHL or the NFL, we are talking about actual businesses. But that is not really the point. Those of us who are in the business world should look at sports from very different angle.

Take the final game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers. That confrontation was nothing less than high drama. Two teams confronted each other in battle to accomplish one goal: to win the Stanley Cup Series. Each team was focused and motivated. Both teams played outstanding Hockey. But it came down to one goal, made in overtime to end the game. In the end, the Blackhawks carried the day.There could be only one winner.

Every day, we go prospecting for our next client or customer. So are a lot of other business folks, some of whom are going after the same potential clients we are pursuing. We may not actually know against whom we are competing. But they are out there. Every player works out a strategy and makes his or her moves. Each player grabs the advantage whenever possible to close the deal. But when all is said and done, who gets the client? It is going to depend on a lot of things and we can't be assured that there will be a level playing field, nor that our competitors will play as fairly as did the Philadelphia Flyers did in the last game of  hockey playoffs. It is certainly going to be a case of every man or woman for himself or herself. That client will choose which individual or company to go with. There will be a winner and  there will be those who lose this particular battle... this particular game.

It is not true that winning is everything. We have to honor certain rules of the game and certain ethical standards of behavior. But in the final analysis, we have to win enough games to remain viable as an employee or as the owner of a company. We have to win often enough to remain profitable in our business endeavors. If we fail to do that, we don't keep our jobs or our companies fail.

So just as art is a reflection of life, a sports game is very much a reflection of life in the business world. One company competes with another for customers. When the government puts out a request for bids on the next generation of fighter planes, giant companies go head-to-head to compete for which one can produce the best proposal. Again, one person or company will win. Someone else will be the latest also-ran.

The next time you watch a baseball game, a football game or a tennis match at Wimbleton, think about what that event is showing you. We can glean a lot of understanding when we acknowledge that sports and business are really the same game.