Delay of Game!

Leadership strategies from the King. The potential power of 'The Persistence Principle'

In the Americanized version of football (shout out to all my foreign brothers and sisters!), there is a penalty called “Delay of Game.” This is usually applied as a punishment to the Offense because they have not started their play in the allotted amount of time. I am sure there some sports pontificator could correct me or give me greater insight into the purposes and reasons behind this particular rule. Due to the woke-i-fication of professional sports, I have not tuned into a game of any kind in about five years… without any psychological detriment to my health. In my distant recollection, the rule was implemented to keep the game moving so the viewership (who paid the million-dollar salaries) would not get too restless. Regardless of the original intent, the penalty illustrates a principle I would like to highlight in today’s blog.

Many, if not most, of you, do not know that yours truly holds a Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership. Additionally, I have had the humble honor of holding multiple executive leadership positions, including a Division Vice President over a hundred-million-dollar branch of a billion-dollar company. I know that basically what I just said is potentially just an eye-roll to the Kingdom-minded among us, and I echo the Apostle Paul when he gave his ‘street cred’ accomplishments in the natural being followed with the challenging admission that “I count all of this as dung for the opportunity to gain Christ” (Phil 3).

Nevertheless, as the Apostle Paul was compelled to give wisdom, experience, and revelation from the formation of his character, I too have a compulsion to share those opportunites with those of you who so desire. Because I strongly desire to preserve the integrity of the broadcasting opportunity of this blogging avenue, I have determined that I will only share these hard-fought truths with those of you who are sincerely interested. Therefore I will only send these epiphanies to the paid subscribers so as to not cause any disctraction from these writings which intend to navigate the authentic covenant people of God deeper into THE Great Awakening.

Today I will be annotating the needful understanding and benefits of:

“The Persistence Principle”

Once upon a time, there was this young whipper-snapper in the lucrative sports world by the name of Alan Stein, Jr. He was working for Nike and was given the challenging assignment of Kobe Bryant… likely the G.O.A.T. during the span of his career. (I know, I know… MJ was the ALL-TIME greatest, but I am trying to be gracious to the younger generation.)

Individuals who have observed Kobe Bryant's relentless persistence in fitness, preparation, and motivation throughout his 20-year NBA achievements have been left in awe. Kobe's commitment to enhancing his game in every possible aspect was unparalleled, often bordering on obsessive, and has left a lasting impression on many.

Alan Stein, Jr. had the opportunity to witness one of Kobe's workouts firsthand. In 2007, Stein was sent to Los Angeles by Nike to work at the first-ever Kobe Bryant Skills Academy. At that time, Bryant was amidst his prime with the Lakers and was determined to secure another championship ring without the presence of Shaq (O’Neal), who had just won a title with the Miami Heat alongside Dwyane Wade. Stein, intrigued by the rumors surrounding Bryant's infamous individual workouts, requested permission to observe one. Kobe informed him that his workout would commence at 4 a.m. Stein, eager to arrive before Bryant, set his alarm for 3 a.m. but was ultimately unsuccessful. Upon arriving, he found Kobe already sweating profusely with his workout well underway.

*Delay of Game!* Stein was outclassed by the persistence and dedication of the future Hall of Fame-er and, moreso, in a moment where Stein had gone the ‘extra mile’ to get a jump on the jumper. As Stein observed the routine from his glum position in the bleachers, sitting in the misery of failure, he eventually became aware of something profound in the superstar’s routine. The workout was simply revolving around all the basics… dribbling, shooting, footwork, ball control… like an eighth-grade practice. Stein observed that Kobe was persisting diligently on the stuff that seemingly was a waste of time for a player of Kobe’s caliber.

Stein approached the breathless Kobe and asked about the seemingly uselessness of the fundamental routine for someone of his advanced stature. Kobe knew the “Persistence Principle,” whether he named it what I have or not. Mr. Bryant’s answer was straight and powerful: