A New Era in Vancouver Sports. MLS is Almost Here.

Today, Tuesday March 8, 2011, the Vancouver Whitecaps have announced 2,500 more tickets have been released for the home opener of their inaugural Major League Soccer season. On March 19th the Whitecaps will take on their Canadian rival, Toronto FC. I, for one, cannot wait to experience this new league.

I grew up minutes away from Empire Stadium, now Empire Field. I played for a local juvenile soccer team, in fact, the same organization that Mr. Bob Lenarduzzi played for, Grandview Legion. I idolized Mr. Lenarduzzi, he even attended the same high school as me, or maybe it was the other way around. It was through soccer that my father taught me how to be a team player. He explained that it didn't matter who scored the goal, as long as it was someone on our team.

This lesson rings true in all aspects of life. When you make WE greater than me, everyone that is included in WE wins.

I think it goes without saying that in order to be successful in soccer, you need to play as a team. This is more important in soccer than in any other sport in the world. A strong eleven is a must, not a strong ten or nine. The truth is that it doesn't end at the starting eleven. There are several players that may not make the starting line up, that are just as vital to winning.

Speaking of "WE", this goes even further than the players on the team. It takes great long term coaching, management, marketing and support to be successful. If everyone thinks as WE, anything can be accomplished.

I look forward to the next few decades and the experiences that this team will not only give us current fans, but all of it's future fans. Sports are an imperative part of a balanced upbringing and the lessons that are learned on the field can be converted into life lessons.

The bottom line is, if WE work as a team, WE will win. It's inevitable because:

"WE is greater than me."

Man Returns Expensive Ring

There was a story I read online the other day about a man named Mark Epple. He's from Minnesota and was recently on vacation at a ski resort in Colorado. Mark was at the airport getting ready to return home when he saw something shiny lying in the gutter. To Mark's surprise, it was a 12 karat diamond ring. The story goes on to explain that Mark was out of work and the ring was worth several years of his salary. Despite the value of the ring, Mark tracked down the owner of the ring and returned it. Initially, he wouldn't even accept a reward. Eventually, Mark accepted a stay for his family at the ring owner's vacation home for a Christmas ski holiday.

Mark stated later that he returned the ring because he wanted to teach his children a lesson, that returning the ring was the right thing to do.

I'd like to think that WE all would return the ring and the real lesson here is that WE is greater than me.

WE is greater than me

“WE>me”

(WE is greater than me)

WE is greater than me. It’s a simple concept really, but I guess I should start by explaining what WE>me is all about:

The math:         “WE” is defined as “oneself and another or others.” This definition basically shows that mathematically, WE will always be greater than me. At least you can never be called a liar when you spread the word.

The Theory:     “WE>me” revolves around teamwork. If WE are willing to work as a team, WE can make anything happen. The concept centres on everyone working together as one. No one person being more important than the whole. Each and every person striving towards the same goal, whatever that goal might be. It doesn’t matter what the situation, if we make “WE” greater than me, anything can be accomplished.

The Quotes:

Terry Fox:        
"Even if I don’t finish, WE need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.”

The Dalai Lama:
“WE really need to embrace the concept of the whole world as WE.”

I don’t think I need to remind you what Terry Fox accomplished, but, in this example, it is nice to see what WE have accomplished in the almost 30 years since Terry’s courageous “Marathon of Hope.” WE, in a sense of the whole world, “WE” have raised nearly $500 million. That’s half a Billion dollars all in the name of Terry. As far as the Dalai Lama goes, there is no smarter man when it comes to peace and understanding than he.

Don’t get me wrong, Terry Fox never heard the phrase (WE>me), nor has the Dalai Lama ever called me up and told me he would promote this page. All I’m trying to get across with these two examples is that, they “get it”. They understand that teamwork can make the seemingly impossible, possible.

There are so many examples of “WE” being greater than me. You need not look any further than any championship, any healthy relationship or any success. WE can be a family, a company, a neighbourhood, a union, a marriage, a friendship, a sports team... You get the picture.

Stay Tuned For Never Ending Examples of WE>me. Also, feel free to email me your own examples. Thank you for your time.

"WE" Don't Let Our Friends Drink and Drive

In order to make it a successful New Year's Eve, WE should all work together to make sure that WE are all safe and WE all make it home in one piece.

"WE is greater than me" is about teamwork. I challenge everyone to keep their friends and family safe this year and don't let anyone drink and drive.

If it means everyone pitches in for a taxi or you simply convince someone to sleep on your floor, it is not worth the heartache. I'm not talking about the prospects of getting caught by the police. I'm talking about the fact that drinking and driving leads to people dying. Forget the criminal record, think about the safety of everyone.

WE DON'T LET OUR FRIENDS DRINK AND DRIVE!

Sharing Your Achievements Magnifies the Significance

Where would we be without the love and support of our family, our friends and our "PEEPS"? I think that's the first time I've ever used the term Peeps, however, I can't think of another word that accurately describes the other people around us that are supportive and appreciated, like our co-workers, teammates, neighbours, etc.

When we accomplish something, it seems to feel more significant if we can share it with someone. Any achievement is more exciting and noteworthy when we share it. I'm not saying that if you don't have anyone to share your achievement with, it is not worth anything, I'm simply saying that it feels good to share.

When you're watching sports and your team scores, it seems natural to high five or hug the people around you. This is not just an occurrence on the sideline, it is multiplied on the field or ice or whatever the playing surface may be. When there is an important play in a game, the players will always slap each other on the back, hug or dog pile in celebration.

When we get a new job or a raise at work, we celebrate with our friends and family. When we graduate from high school or college, we celebrate with our friends and family. When we buy a new home, we celebrate with our friends and family...

I guess I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. It's just an observation in human nature.

I have noticed that when I watch television by myself, as funny as the jokes might be, they are funnier when there is someone else in the room. Even if there is no conversation, I am more likely to laugh out loud. This seems to make it better.

WE are all made up of energy, positive and negative. When we share our accomplishments with others, we are sharing our positive energy. This positive energy will multiply at an alarming rate, so keep sharing, it feels good.

WE is greater than me. (WE>me)

Barenaked Ladies Understand WE>me.

Let’s start with a couple of seemingly easy questions... First, who built the Pyramids? Second, who build the Great Wall?

I know what you’re thinking, “too simple”. The obvious answers to those questions are the Egyptians and the Chinese, right??? Well what if I offered up a different answer? An answer that is just as correct if you're in the right frame of mind.

Well, let me tell you about a great song by the Barenaked Ladies called “The History of Everything”. If you’ve ever seen the CBS television show “The Big Bang Theory”, and heard the theme song, then you know what I'm talking about. I don’t want to talk about the merits of the show, the song or the theory. While the show and the song are very entertaining, this is not our focus here. Conversely, as the theory is very interesting, I don’t want to explain it, nor can I explain it...

I want to focus on a couple of lines in the song and point out that the Barenaked Ladies “get it”. They understand "WE>me". While explaining part of the theory, in verse, they use my favourite word, twice. The song starts like this:

“Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started, wait...
The Earth began to cool,
The autotrophs began to drool,
Neanderthals developed tools,
We built a wall (we built the pyramids)...”

Whahhhh! WE built a wall, WE built the pyramids...

Ponder these two statements for a second and then take into consideration what is actually being said. When it comes right down to it, WE are one race... the Human Race. This is the way we need to think on a global scale, or at least locally to begin with.

I told a few of my friends about this point of view. The first couple of times I made that statement, “WE built a wall, WE built the pyramids”, I’ll have to admit, it didn’t really make sense in my head, however, the more times I said it, the more it became clear. How different would the world around us be if everyone thought of each other in the sense of WE? (WE is greater than me)

I guess the irony here would be the fact that the Barenaked Ladies have since broken up. The “WE” that once was Steven Page and Ed Robertson is no longer. I guess you can’t win them all, but, they sure got it right on this one...

 Does this concept seem way too foreign to say out loud?

I bet it seems a little strange when you hear it in your own voice.

Repeat it a few times and tell me what you think. What a great theory.

My Dad Teaches Us "WE"

“WE>me”

I learned the concept at an early age. It’s funny, the little things that stick in your memory... My father seldom missed any of my soccer games growing up, even still today. At any rate, something my dad said after a closely contended 1-0 win was a lesson that I will never forget. Thirteen giddy young athletes celebrating in the dressing room as if we had just won the World Cup. My dad asked us “who scored the goal?” WE all pointed at the goal scorer, thinking it was a pretty obvious answer, considering there was only one goal. He looked at us and told us that there is a better way to answer his question. He told us all that mattered is that "WE" scored. It didn’t matter which particular player put the ball in the net, as long as he was wearing our colours. WE didn’t win because one player scored, WE won the game because WE scored a goal. Just as importantly, as a team, WE didn’t allow the other team to score.

This was and is a simple idea that can really be the difference between Success and Failure.