You hear the phrase all the time in sports: "They got lucky."
What is luck? Is it a No. 9 seed upsetting both a No. 1 and No. 2 seed en route to the Final Four? Is it when a group of three superstars join together to win an NBA championship? Or perhaps is it the line drive that falls inches foul in the ninth inning of a perfect game?
If you ask me - which you don't really have a choice in doing because I'm the writer of the column - I would tell you that luck does not exist in sports. The best definition I can give to the word from a sports perspective comes from the first-century Roman philosopher Seneca, who said, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
Being an athlete is a year-round job with extensive behind-the-scenes preparations that go unnoticed by the average fan. While we may only see the final product in the form of a well-played game, the amount of time and effort put in by athletes is incomprehensible. When the final pitch of a baseball season is thrown and a World Series champion is crowned, we shift our focus fully to football season and the looming NBA season as well.
However, this is just the beginning for the players who dedicate their lives to the sport. Players hire personal trainers to help them build on the previous season and get better each successive year. They may take a short period of time off, but after that it's right back to the diamond to perfect their flaws and add new skills to their arsenals that will improve the overall performance of the team.
For instance, Dominican baseball players will go to their native country and play another full season before spring training rolls around the following February. In other sports, such as basketball, players like LeBron James will hit the gym to develop a new move each summer. College football players hold spring workouts while professionals will take to the field to try and develop a bond with new teammates, such as Tom Brady recently teaming up with the new Patriots wide-receiver Danny Amendola at the USC training complex.
We, the sports fans, see the players come in for preseason training and sometimes assume that this is the beginning of their season, but off-season training is crucial for elite athletes to remain on top of their game.
Luck is born from this offseason training. There are no coincidences when a player or team performs well. A No. 9 seed such as Wichita State did not get "lucky" when they beat No. 1 Gonzaga or No. 2 Ohio State. The Shockers trained and competed as a team ever since their Round of 64 exit against VCU last year. They worked hard enough to give themselves the opportunity to succeed.
Legendary USA hockey coach Herb Brooks was quoted saying, "Great moments are born from great opportunities." These opportunities are created through extensive work when no one is watching.
Saying that an individual or team was lucky is taking the easy way out. It's failing to acknowledge the work put in when the doors were closed, the media wasn't present, and all eyes were elsewhere. Luck will find the players who watch the extra hour of film, run the extra sprint or take the extra round of batting practice.
It's time to ensure that we give credit where credit is due. Respect the effort that is being put in by the players outside of the lines and outside of the scope of public attention. When the season ends, a new one begins for those that love and are dedicated to the game. Remember the meaning behind the word "luck" next time you say it, because if you use it in the wrong context, you might just be sacked.
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Jordan Bean is a freshman who has yet to declare a major. He can be reached at Jordan.Bean@tufts.edu.
