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I've worked a lot in niche sports or with those scrapping at the bottom trying to find their way up. It's hard, very hard. He's a wonderful example of what it's like from a firsthand experience of a tennis player trying to achieve her potential. I encourage you all to take the time to read it.
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 This past month I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico to help the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) with broadcasting one of their grand slam events, the Paola Longoria Experience. The four day event was a testament to the popularity and national visibility that Paola Longoria (in the image above) has crafted in Mexico. Coming from what most would consider a niche sport, Longoria has demonstrated how an athlete can become a household name to those who may not even know much about the sport he or she plays.
What's my thought of the month from all this? For an athlete to truly be successful, they must work hard within and external to their sport. Over the four days I closely watched Longoria. And, quite frankly, I was impressed, not just by her athletic ability (she won the singles title, her 99th by the way) and her ability to interact with fans of all ages. No, what impressed me most was how much time she spent with these fans. Before and after every match, fans crowded around begging for photos, autographs, and selfies. Did she ever say no? Not from what I saw. After the event was over, she stayed long after every other player, until every fan who wanted to had been given time with her. Longoria sacrificed her time on this occasion. She could have easily used her influence to keep fans away, to limit her exposure, or to tell them she was too busy. They would have understood. But she didn't, and because of that she left the court a winner on it and a winner off it. Longoria is one of the most famous athletes in Mexico, and achieving this level of popularity as a woman from a smaller sport says a lot. And it has not been achieved by accident. Hard work, dedication, and significant time commitments have been necessary. It is has been a long-term investment for gains that have taken time to materialize. Athletes, coaches, and sporting organizations that want the same exposure and financial rewards as Longoria must recognize the work that's required. It's not something that will just happen. Are you going to put that work in? I believe I'm good with words. Thousands of published pages of my writing help to justify this claim. But, there are experiences and feelings that, no matter how much I try, I struggle to convey. Once such instance came this weekend, when I had the opportunity to watch Lalo Portillo in person, as he defied the odds to become a Junior World Champion. Many doubted Lalo's ability to overcome a very talented group of competitors, but we knew he was prepared. He had done the work. He had trained for this. In front of a packed house, Lalo showed composure, confidence, and control to overcome what could have been a crushing 15-14 first game loss to demonstrate his will by winning games two and three. I have worked with Lalo for the past year, and I confess my input may not have been much compared to the many, many hours of training he has put in over this year and the years before. There is no doubt he earned his title by beating the very best. I have been amazed at Lalo's willingness to listen and learn. He is truly a remarkable athlete and young man. In many ways he has demonstrated professionalism well beyond his years. Those interested in sponsoring young athletes would do well to consider Lalo as an ideal candidate. Lalo, I'm so proud of you. You have listened and taken care of the little things. Your title was not given you to. You earned it. To see you achieve it in person is something I will never forget. Thank you for allowing me to be part of that experience. "To be the best, whether in sports or business or any other aspect of life, it’s never enough to just get to the top; you have to stay there, and then you have to climb higher, because there’s always someone right behind you trying to catch up. Most people are willing to settle for good enough." (Tim Grover) Keep climbing Lalo. Keeping becoming your GOAT.  In this short video, I discuss Tim Grover's comments about taking advantage of success and pushing forward rather than resting when an athlete reaches the top.
In this short video, I discuss a few quotes from Tim Grover's book Relentless, in which he talks about the difference between saying you'll give 100% and doing it. I also discuss the challenge of staying at the top once there.
A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Rafael Filippini, the owner of Gearbox Racquetball. He has some great advice for athletes in niche sports trying to become successful on and off the court.
We discussed the sport of racquetball, the importance of professionalism in sports, and what athletes can do to boost their visibility. I hope you take the time to listen, learn, and apply. Closed Captioning is available and sharing is encouraged! |
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