Everyone needs a little pick-me up from time to time. What better way to get it than from your favorite sports television shows? Sit back, buckle in and enjoy the experience of almost watching these shows by reading these quotes. The motivation will hit you hard.
Whether you need to study for your test on Friday or you need that last little kick to get you up to go to the gym, these shows will lead you there with a new pep to your step.
1. Ted Lasso
“Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”
You don’t need to religiously watch soccer to appreciate Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso. This comedy show exhibits a depth that many can appreciate, even if you don’t like the sport. The television show captures the experience of the struggles that come along with stepping into a new position without much experience, like that of attending college for your first semester. It also shows the success that comes along with forcing yourself to take a step outside of your comfort zone. Now, you don’t need to move to another country and take on the responsibility of major sports club to do this. There are many experiences during your college career that help you find new footing in unknown territory along the way.
“I know nothing about soccer, but something about hearing Ted Lasso’s warm southern accent brings me the reassurance I need to keep going,” Pasco-Hernando State College freshman Ryan Amundsen confessed.
The experiences you have while attending college require you to step outside of your comfort zone every day. Whether you find yourself socializing with people you never would before or forcing yourself to ask for help, every step along the way will show you new things. A little bit of discomfort now leads to wonderful things, even if you don’t currently believe it. Don’t be afraid to find solitude in the unknown.
2. Cobra Kai
“Never mind your past mistakes; don’t let them determine your future.”
Let’s be honest, everyone does things they regretted in the past. I know I look back and immediately cringe at the way that I acted a few years ago. I don’t recognize the person smiling in photos back then since I completely changed as a person. It took a lot for me to forgive myself for any silly mistakes that I made in the past. Remember that growth always happens. The things that you did in the past do not define who you will grow into. Allow yourself to forgive and move on. Oh, and delete those photos that remind you of those mistakes you’re at it. You’ll thank me later.
3. Friday Night Lights
“No matter what happens, no matter where you go, not matter what you do, I’m always gonna be behind you. Always and always and always.”
Those ride-or-die friends and those encouraging parents serve as the one common thread throughout every coming-of-age film. The main character experiences something awful and their friends come together to cheer them up. The parents recognize any wrongful behavior in the past they committed and arrive just in time to give their child the extra push they need. Usually it leads to some elaborate monologue or party scene (which is a bit unrealistic) that sets them back on the path that they need to go on. Truthfully, this quote reminds you that people will always support you. Whether they live eight hundred miles away or just down the street, someone will cheer you on. Fall back on them for support whenever you need it. You don’t need to go at everything alone.
4. One Tree Hill
“There’s no shame in being afraid. Hell, we’re all afraid. What you gotta do is figure out what you’re afraid of because when you put a face on it, you can beat it. Better yet, you can use it.”
Failure crosses everyone’s minds whether they admit it or not. The worry that what you do won’t be enough, that you will miss out on experiences you dreamt of your entire life by taking one wrong step plagues the minds of many students. The idea of failure followed me all the way to the point of my graduation. It brought me more sleepless night than I like to admit.
“I have learned to go into everything with the fear of knowing it could end badly for me,” Pasco-Hernando State College senior Hannah LaBarbara said. “I would rather embrace the fear and have the experience over missing out on something because of my fear of failure.”
Roadblocks will come forward in everything you do. Life won’t be a single straight line. The twists and turns that come along with it serve as a way to test your resilience. If you let your fear control you, how will you know if the anxiety your mind conjured actually exists? Identify your fears and charge forward. You will overcome them.
5. Welcome to Wrexham
“We want to sustainably grow and build this club, but we’re here rain or shine. This isn’t a fair-weather gig.”
Who thought a docuseries about the beloved Ryan Reynolds buying an English soccer club would send me into a spiral? One thing I learned during my 20 years on this Earth is that life is a constant battle. Moments will occur where it feels like everything goes wrong. Just know those moments never last forever. Life won’t be easy every step of the way. I struggled with my mental health immensely a year ago. I lost a family member very dear to me and I sank into a deep depression. I truly thought I wouldn’t reach the level of happiness I achieved. Growth happens under the cloudiest of days, whether you see it or not. It just takes getting to that next sunny day to recognize all you achieved. I say listen to Ryan Reynolds on this one.
6. All-American
“Either move forward or move backward. But make a move.”
I can say that this quote recently saved me and continues to save me to this day. I absolutely hate feeling like I am stuck in the same spot. I recently returned home to continue my degree online in order to save myself some money. But let me tell you, I didn’t realize just how much I hated my hometown until I returned. Sitting in my childhood bedroom while working on my classes makes me want to slam my head through a wall. This quote came to me in between the endless edits of Pedro Pascal and the new BookTok theories during my TikTok scrolling. It stopped me in my tracks. It reminded me that this one step back won’t stop me from growing my future. Even the slight bit of movement can set you up for where you need to go. Now I try to keep a more positive mindset knowing this will only help me out in the future.
7. A League of Their Own
“The game makes the fuel, the fuel makes the fire.”
While this quote definitely makes you dig deep into your memory for any remaining knowledge from your psychology courses, it also reminds you to follow your passions. I struggle with motivating myself to finish my assignments on time. Now, I am partly to blame due to overloading my plate constantly. However, whenever I feel down or unmotivated this quote always reminds me that as long as passion about what I do exists, no one can stop me. It has gotten me off the couch and to my computer more times that I can count.
8. Eastbound and Down
“If you’ve got something you want to say, then just say it.”
Simple, concise and to the point. I always avoided confrontation as I worried about saying the wrong thing. It took me years to accept the fact that I deserved to take up space and that my voice mattered. After fighting through multiple panic attacks and pushing the limits of my comfort zone, I can now say what I need to say when it needs to be said. Keeping everything bottled up inside your mind won’t do you any good. Kenny Powers may be quite the wild-man, but his unintentional inspiration persists.
9. Pitch
“I don’t need a speech from you today. I don’t need a speech from you, or my father, or my brother, or my agent. I don’t need some billionaire taking me all around the world as if I got nothing better to do. He can watch me train in Arizona if he wants to. I don’t need a man to rescue me. I’m the one on the mound right now. Me. I throw the ball. I give the speeches.”
Playing a sport as the only woman in a male-dominated industry leads to an uphill climb that many face both on and off the athletic field. Pitch serves as one of the few sports shows that elaborate on this issue. Ginny Baker stands as the first woman in Major League Baseball, fighting to prove herself every step of the way. Her experiences reflect that of many female student-athletes.
“I always played with boys when I was younger. When I got older, they started to look down on me for my gender. I had to learn just how to get my voice heard and I did,” Trinity Washington University senior and student-athlete Kylie Kemp admitted.
The lesson of learning to speak up happens for many during their college years. You learn that you need to communicate much more than you did during high school for participation points or just to get your idea heard. Over time, it sets in as just another habit you have. I am here to remind you to use your voice every chance you get. Don’t let anyone speak over you when you need to say something.
10. Glow
“Sometimes you have to trick yourself into having a good time. Just pretend you’re having the best time in the world, and then maybe you will.”
College encapsulates the struggles that we all face. Whether it be our classes or trying to find your footing in a life that you only dreamed about until this point, we often find ourselves lost without truly wanting to admit it. If you constantly tell yourself just how terrible your experience on campus turn out or how much you hate your classes, you will continue to find yourself in that negative spiral.
“College didn’t turn out for me like I thought it would. My first semester made me absolutely miserable,” Pasco-Hernando State College freshman Jayden Paris said. “When I finally started changing the way I viewed my classes, I liked them a lot more than I had before. I took them off of the pedestal I put them on before and just tried to think of them as another opportunity for me to learn a new fact daily. It actually got me excited to go to them.”
Ruth here reminds us that sometimes you can be a bit delusional if it changes how you view things. I know that I found myself drowning in my classes when I put them into an objective viewpoint. I only saw the number of assignments that piled up as the semester progressed. I didn’t allow myself to take the time to appreciate the information that I learned. Try to take each class day-by-day. It will help reduce the stress looming over your head and you might even find yourself enjoying your classes more. Afterall, a positive mindset leads to a good mindset.
