It was halftime during the Lagos state finals of the Federations cup football competition in Nigeria. And we were losing 4 - 0. With our knees planted in the grass, my team was quietly huddled, drenched in sweat and defeat. We all knew the game was over, our opponent were far better.
That’s when our team manager bursted through our circle and shattered our pity party, delivering one of the most powerful speeches I’ve heard to this day.
I can’t directly quote him because he said some things that are inappropriate for a blog post. But the point is, he harnessed the power of words to rejuvenate a physically and emotionally drained team. And we came back clawing to win the match 5 - 4.
I was later to know that the speech was The Miracle Pep-talk popularly known as "It's Your Time!" A speech made by Kurt Russell, which brought about the miracle of 1980 US Olympic Hockey team. Now in the movie MARCLE.
The Miracle on Ice is still considered the biggest upset in Olympic hockey history. And for good reason. The Soviet Union won six of the last seven Olympic gold medals, and the U.S. team consisted only of amateur players. It was obvious the Soviets were better.
But, in the movie Miracle , which told the incredible story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, Kurt Russell’s character -- Coach Herb Brooks -- knew that this game was different. The U.S. was better than the Soviets that day. And his speech conveyed such a strong belief in his team that they pulled off one of the greatest sports moments of the 20th century.
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Read The Speech:
"If we played ’em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game… Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players, every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time...”
