Did you hear the latest…?
Did you read what they said on social media…?
Can you believe the rumors…?
We hear these phrases all the time. From politics to celebrity gossip to sports, everyone is looking for a new conspiracy theory to pass along.
Today’s world puts that much more pressure on those individuals and teams who are gunning to be the best. If you want to prove you’ve reached the pinnacle—indeed, if you want to be great—you have to go out and win beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Sadly, that isn’t what the University of Michigan football team did on Saturday.
Playing their unranked instate rival Western Michigan, UM squeaked out yet another opening week victory over a lesser opponent. But this time it came on perhaps one of the most controversial calls in recent history.
With precious few seconds left on the clock, UM QB Bryce Underwood sailed a Hail Mary pass out of bounds through the end zone. With that, the game looked to be over and Western Michigan looked to have beaten the No. 16 Wolverines, 12-7.
But upon further examination, what looked to be the final play of the game was only the penultimate one. The refs put one more tick back on the clock and UM got another shot.
With that extra chance, Underwood found receiver JJ Buchanan in the end zone for the final score. UM won, 13-12.
Would the refs – who were from Michigan’s conference, the Big 10 – have done that if it was Western with the ball trying to win and not the Wolverines? I guess we’ll never know the answer to that question. But ever since the controversial play, people all over the world have been asking it. “There was no way the Big 10 was going to let Michigan lose,” was a phrase that showed up all over the internet, the implication clear.
In this day and age of conspiracy theories, it is incumbent upon teams that want to be great to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. If not, rightly or wrongly, a mob of tinfoil hats will be at your door accusing you of bad things.
In the wake of the final play and Michigan’s win, several team statements were issued.
“It was determined Western Michigan (player) No. 18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock,” the Big Ten conference said hours after the game, per the Associated Press.
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher did the honorable thing and essentially closed the matter after that by saying in a statement, “[The Big Ten] provided video and audio of the replay, which confirmed the explanation provided to us.”
Okay.
Today, there is so much money in sports – see the $12 million contract Michigan gave its quarterback. As a result, there is seemingly every opportunity to cheat or bend the rules for a preferred outcome. UM has one of the largest football fanbases in America. If the team wins on a controversial play, many will assume it happened for some nefarious reason.
Too often, teams like Michigan play down to the level of their competition. And too often it seems that all–too–coincidental plays save them at the last second.
But I don’t believe that’s anyone’s definition of greatness.
In the end, if you want to be great you must play that way. All the time. If you don’t, you give others the chance to assume the worst.
As a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, and 13-time New York Times Best-Selling author, Don Yaeger is one of America’s most provocative thought leaders. From walking into Afghanistan with the Mujahadeen to living with football legend Walter Payton, Don has spent three decades embedded with the world’s greatest "Greats." Now a sought-after executive coach and host of the Corporate Competitor Podcast, he translates the lessons of sports and business legends into actionable strategies for building a culture of greatness.
