Buzz Williams, the head men’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech, begins each season by instilling in his players a reverence for the national anthem and the veterans who have served and given their lives in defence of our wonderful nation. Before delivering his message, Coach Williams called attention to a few little gestures made by players, such as glancing at their shoes, swaying back and forth, or tugging at their jerseys or shorts.
In order to emphasise his point, Buzz invited several veterans, several of whom were dressed in uniform. Williams made his players face the veterans as he gave a stirring speech, beginning with, “We didn’t earn those chairs. How tall you are and how fast you run, or how well you shoot didn’t earn those chairs.”
“We draw up the play, we recruit real hard, but I didn’t earn the chair.” Williams pointed to the veterans and remarked, “These guys when they were your age, they interrupted their life. They paused their education. They changed their career, and they gave their life for those chairs.”
“So when the anthem is played, we’re going to stand like grown men, and we’re going to honor men like this that gave their life so that we could have a chair to sit in. And in the two and half minutes that the song is played, or someone sings it, or the music is played, we’re going to stand at attention in honor of these men. We’re not going to sway back and forth, and we’re not messing with our shorts or messing with our jersey.”
“Those two and a half minutes, we’re going to give to those people that earned these chairs because that freedom allows us to do what we’re doing. You may see some of the same actions that Williams objected to if you watch your guys the next time they’re in uniform during the playing of the national anthem.
Although it’s unlikely that players are doing these out of disrespect, Williams masterfully utilised the situation to teach his team a valuable lesson. Coaches who begin every sporting event with the playing of the national anthem ought to discuss the outcome.
