Stars on Sports Intro: It's time for Stars on Sports! A podcast-radio show dedicated to sharing stories about our athletic program at Lansing Community College. LCC athletics has a strong tradition. 25 national championship wins! Over 190 All-Americans! 19 MCCAA All Sports trophies! Stars on Sports will introduce you to individuals that have contributed to our program success and give you the backstory on what it takes to develop it. We'll also dive into and break down the topics and issues facing athletic departments across the nation and right here at LCC. This is Stars on Sports!

Hello and welcome to another episode of Stars and Sports. I'm joined today by our A team assistant athletic director Steven Cutter and our producer, Dadalion Lowry. And gentlemen, you know, it seems like in the past we've talked about words that I've asked you, is it positive or negative? And I think I found another one today that I think fits that mold and I like to see which direction we go with it. And it's actually a word. I'm not even sure I really know the definition of it or get it confused with some other words. And it's ego. And we deal with egos in sports. And like many things we've talked about, it can be good or it can be bad. And I think the word ego has a negative kind of tone to it. But having said that, in sports, you know, and you and I have had a lot of conversations that it's. You need an ego to be, you know. And again, I'd like to talk a little bit about difference between confidence and ego. But what do you think of ego? Positive or negative or.

The best artists create the best work when they do it for themselves.

He's feeling philosophical.

Can you say that again, please?

The best artists create the best work when they do it for themselves. We all have egos. It's. It's part of the muscle between our ears. And sometimes they can run wild and, you know, sometimes people can keep them in check. But as you like to. A word you like to use balance, it is.

That's a key word. So it's moderation. Everything moderation.

It's somewhere in there.

That is a great quote. I'm glad you started with that because about doing for themselves. But I want the dallian to chime. We didn't let Dadalion chime in early last week, so.

Well, that's all right. I'm fine with that because I don't have an overinflated ego and I'm good with that.

But me too.

I.

As far as ego goes, it goes so many different ways. I guess I think of instantly of the many times because of my music background. Very often I talk to people and they talk about a singer in a band that they don't like because he's got such or she's got such a big ego. And I go, yes, but it takes that ego to do what they're doing, and they kind of need that to front that band. That having been said, I'm not somebody that I necessarily feel like I have a big ego, but it's not to say that I don't. It kind of relates to confidence. You know, confidence and ego kind of go hand in hand.

Very much so they do.

And I wasn't even sure the difference in the definition of confidence and ego, but I did find it. Confidence is inner certainty and trust in your abilities, where ego is a sense of self important, driven by the need for external validations, which I think is very important, and superiority. But again, good segues. Yes, Dadalia, I agree with you. I think people do struggle with those that do have big egos. But I think the one that do it best have it, but keep it in check. Humility, like the opposite word I kind of think of, and that's a word I really like that I think leaders have to be humble or demonstrate humility. So I think the ego part is just keeping it in check. But to your point, the best athlete, the best magician, the best in any field, their ego is probably what's helped get them there because of their identity of excelling in that particular spectrum that they excel in. And to your quote. Yeah, I mean, we talk about, like, especially in sports, how a lot of kids play because their parents want them to play. But if you're all in on something, you have to do it for yourself. And why that quote is huge in my mind is because the best one do have that inner self. And I think that that balance of confidence and ego.

Well, I think when you're out talking about that, though, then based on the definitions that you've given, it's almost like it kind of goes more into confidence in that manner. Because you said that ego requires the external validation. Is that the definition that was part.

Of this particular definition?

Especially since there's so many different definitions of ego.

But where it fits in is it's a sense of yourself. It's your identity. And we're going to talk about. We had a nice podcast in our office yesterday on identity that we're gonna take that word and just do a whole podcast on it. But where ego fits in sports is self belief desire to be the best. And it does. It's kind of fed by the confidence in your own ability. And you know, ego can be what drives someone to say, give me the ball, put me on the mound at the end of the game, let me be the goalie. You know, we talk about, we talked about performance under pressure in previous ones.

And it's still the external validation thing that comes in. But you'll see with high performers or people that are more comfortable in pressure situations, they already have that belief system in themselves. And they're going to get that external validation because they perform well when the building's on fire. So it's not necessarily a searching for happens because they're doing well with whatever it might be.

And we'll get to that. Because I also think again, the external validation is what leads to overused ego. But because it can, you're right, it can feel greatness or get in the way of it. And it is a motivator. You know, it's refusing to settle, it's refusing to lose. And the other word I think ego gets confused with is arrogance. And that's again what we've talked about. I think the Dalian, when someone is arrogant, that's when they kind of put people off.

So would you say that Muhammad Ali had a big ego or was he arrogant?

I would say both because he excelled because of his ego. But he was a little arrogant. I mean, I liked him, but he put people off because he complained I'm the greatest in the world.

So it's not necessarily the ego people have a problem with, it's the arrogance. Right?

Yeah, but I think ego leads to too much ego is when it becomes arrogant.

They're similar. Arrogance is the display of superiority or self importance characterized by overbearing pride and contempt for others.

It's that just came up with that right off the bat, overriding belief system.

That somewhat turns out.

Yeah. And you need ego. Back to what we've talked about to say, I belong here, I'm capable of doing it right. I'm gonna prove them wrong. So.

So what great sports person that's played sports that's been labeled as a great ambassador for sports doesn't have what we're talking about right now.

Yeah, I don't think none.

You can't name any.

Because Michael Jordan, it's a prerequisite for that. It is. I mean they have an ego, but I think I my own. Because sportsmanship is so important to me. The ones that have the biggest Ego, but keep it in check. Are my favorite student athletes or my favorite athlete. The ones. And I like Muhammad Ali, too. But the ones that come across as arrogant and don't keep their ego in check are the ones that I probably disassociate a little bit. And I think to your point, it does turn people the. That if their ego gets to arrogance, it does turn people off.

But it's kind of like Charles Barkley, what he used to say, I'm not a role model.

I would disagree.

Do you remember that?

I do. And I love Charles Barker.

He was a basketball player, you know, and so it kind of lines into that. I think that the people that have accomplished extreme success aren't necessarily so worried about what other people are thinking about their ego.

And we're talking about us seeing people with ego. I also want to hit on, you know, dealing with kids with egos on your team. And again, I think it's a positive thing because our best players have, I think, been proven to have them. You know, it can help them be bold. It can help them be a little more fearless. It helps with identity, which, again, we're not going to go into somewhat delusional. Somewhat. I mean. I mean, yeah, because it's almost. It's actually a word I'm starting to like even more because, as you know, one of my favorite things is go to the line, touch the line. If you go over the line, you're hurting yourselves. If you go under the line, you're hurting yourself. And ego is that great word that if you go. If you don't have enough ego, you're not getting to the line. If you have too much ego, it's probably hurting you. But you have to get to touch that line to be successful, to train like a pro, you know, and even in handling adversity and failure. And I think that's where ego gets confused a little bit, is I think the ones that have a healthy ego use it as fuel. The ones that don't, it becomes an excuse. They become defensive. But I think as we deal with doing athletes as coaches and administrators, we gotta help them use it to push them forward. And if we don't keep it in check, then it becomes a negative for our team. So let's talk about the negative part a bit. A little bit, because I just hit on it a little bit. And again, the Dalian you hit on, like when we sit back and see someone with a big ego, but when we're dealing with kids with ego, they're probably usually selfish.

They blame Others, they're focused on themselves.

They are focused on them. Which, again, to your quote, though, which is really hard, right?

Really a hard thing in a team environment, when you want a team that has high belief systems and high belief systems in themselves, but then you also want a team that's selfless and is willing to give to others as much as they give to themselves. So you have to really work on.

That, and you do. And I think the one that part of the thing that leads to ego is there hasn't been that accountability partner that we've talked about in the past that no one's held them in check. Because one of the quotes I've heard that sticks with me is when a coach told me is I'd rather put out a fire than start a fire. And what they meant by that is, I'd rather try and reel someone in that has a lot of motivation than trying to get somebody to do something that they're not motivated to do. And I think that's true with ego. I'd rather reel someone in with a high ego than try and get someone that doesn't have an ego to get where they want to be. And again, we know it's a muscle, too, that you can train and teach them and help build their confidence to have an ego. But I truly believe those with the highest ego have not been checked, haven't been held accountable, haven't been called out on their actions. And I think it's pretty prevalent in sport because of highlight reels. And, you know, we put so much emphasis on their identity through their success as a. As a student athlete. So It's a catch 22 that we're feeding into their ego and we're not reeling it in. Especially some of the most successful student athletes that have been successful at a young age, that their athleticism has paved their way. And they're not. They haven't been held accountable in some of the other things that they should be, such as being a good teammate.

I think history shows us with some of the best athletes at the collegiate level, professional level, they weren't necessarily the best teammates until they ran into coaches that were able to teach them the importance of that and that they could actually get further than just climbing the mountain on their own.

And someone checked them in. And I believe Michael Jordan had that same thing where Phil. He wasn't a great teammate at the beginning of his pro career, but Phil Jackson gets a lot of credit for helping with that and building a team, because. Great point. You can't, even though your Quote says you do it for yourself, but you can't do it without others. Again, a lot of research about the importance of social interaction and how important having that is to be successful in life now. So, and that's where I believe ego get the negative connotation is because it gets in the way of that. If you have a large ego, I think it can impact your relationships with your team or with your community per se. So it is up to the coach or adult or someone to help keep that ego check. And again, so in the end it's really about managing it and keeping it in check. And some of the ways the to do that is focus on the team. Again, we do give individual credit, but I think, you know, some of those, they've received too much individual credit. Being coachable I think is important reminding, you know, that the growth mindset, I think of a fixed mindset a little bit with ego because they almost think they're too good, they're better, they don't need to hustle or they rely on their athleticism to again, the ones that aren't that have gone unchecked with their ego, that, that is, those are characteristics that it's gone too far. You know, the great one I like is compete with yourself. I mean, again, I think egos also are led to by getting validation for the result. Where it's more like we've talked about is being better than yesterday. Compete with yourself. You know, compete for yourself. You know, I think that can help keep an ego in check.

And that's also a more challenging thing to do to compete with yourself than it is to compete with others. Mainly because like with the ego it's, it really is like really important for things like self esteem and confidence, that kind of stuff. And when you're competing with yourself, you're somewhat, you know, ripping that band aid off all the time. And that's not as great as competing with somebody else and beating them, you know, consistently. So that's why it becomes harder for athletes and stuff to compete with themselves on a daily basis. That doesn't mean that they can't do it. I mean plenty are trained to do it, but it's, it's easier to compete with somebody else than it is yourself.

It's more visible, more tangible. I agree, that's a nice perspective and very important because we do always, I believe we need a scoreboard of some sort to measure how good we're getting. But we usually look at the external one instead of the internal one and there's, there's A lot of ways in sports, you know, like an example of doing 12 pushups instead of 10 pushup the one day or the other. But they. I think the key to keeping ego from negative is separating it from your identity. And I think that's where again an ego uncheck goes. That that becomes their identity. They become not Steve Man Cutter, but baseball coach or a star athlete. People have identified him as a basketball player or a cross country runner and not that particular person. And we've seen that be too much pressure for some people to handle and difficult to deal with. We're almost feeding into it. And our society does feed into it because back to being a role model, they are maybe not considered role models, but indirectly people are looking up to them and want to be like them. So especially in the student athletes. So any change of thoughts on if it's positive or negative?

I'm only going to bring this up because usually like you tell me after the podcast that you wish I'd brought it up. But I was thinking the most. And this is a fictional character, but a probably good approach or thought process of ego and play would be. And I was trying to look it up, but Charlie Sheen's character, Wild thing.

Major league.

Yeah, Major league. There you go. And that great movie. The process of actually seeing an ego still in play, you know what I'm saying? Where he was very selfish in the beginning, blamed other people for his problems and then transformed. By the time he was done, he had ego in check, but it was still a part of his character.

Great example. I got a better one though, Ted Lasso. Because if we're gonna mention shows, I mean. But seriously, I traveled this weekend to watch our cross country team win the national championship.

In the snow.

In the snow. It was a blizzard. So Fort Dodge, Iowa, got a lot of snow this weekend.

I assume you're going to talk about the character of Jamie.

Jamie is. But Roy too. But Jamie is the main one throughout the three season that they change from being all about him and wanting the ball and wanting to score. And you see that his dad had an important role of you need the goals, you need the goals. And you know, Ted really worked on him, you know, you know, like one of the lines he said, and I can't remember when they're, you know, you're one in a million, Jamie, but on this team I need you to be one of the 11, you know. And his talent is astronomically high, but we need him to fit on this team to be successful. But it comes down again, checking it. And Ted tried to check it. The manager on Major League worked on checking wild things. And the ones that don't are the ones that don't become successful. So ego isn't good or bad. It's more just how we manage. If, you know a controlled one is good, an unchecked one leads to chaos. So, you know, the best athlete, they walk that line. They're confident, not cocky. They know they're great, but they know there's more to do. And again, it comes back with humility and conviction. And let it be your edge, not your enemy. So I think it is a positive word. I think as society, we think of it as a negative word. But I think in sports, it's a necessity to be great, but it's also something you have to manage. Because one of my favorite paradoxes, the strength to the extreme becomes a weakness. And that is true for your ego. Balance. Right? Anything else on ego? Cut.

No.

Any good quote then? You started with a great one. Man out of the just blue with.

An artist can only handle one at a time.

So balance. So. Oh, good stuff. And we didn't get no bowling examples today. That's okay. We'll save that for next week. So usually we record this on the day after you have bowling, so.

Well, I know I. Well, I did bowl.

And here you go. Didn't get in the way.

It's bruised.

Yeah, yeah, pretty much. I mean, we were pretty much at the bottom of the pile, so, you know, I mean, seventh place or something like that, I think.

Oh, we got where you're at today. Not.

That was the first half of the season, too, so. Yeah, we did not win the first half of the season championship.

I think that happened last year, too. And you really can.

I know. Yeah, we're notorious for that, actually. It's not intentional. It really is not.

Okay, so let's wrap this up with our food question. I was listening to a podcast on Thanksgiving today, and the podcast mentioned that 60%, I think, of Americans don't like certain traditional Thanksgiving dishes. And I think that's. And 30% are moving away from Turkey as their main dish. Pork is number two now, which is interesting to me. So there you go. There you go. Some Thanksgiving facts on stars on sports. So, I mean, I saw you shake your head about turkey. That wasn't going to be the question I asked. So yams. But that is. Yams is your least favorite or.

I don't know. I was just throwing it out there.

Okay.

You didn't ask the question yet.

So I'm going to ask what is your least favorite Thanksgiving dish? I'll go first. Cranberry sauce, hands down. And then another one, which lead to our. Another question is like, the dish that my family always bring. My wife is famous for green bean cassEROle. I hate it. Sorry, honey. But my kids love it. But that's another one. I wouldn't eat that. The one she'll take whenever we go place because everyone else loves it, so. But cranberries sauce is my number one. I won't even touch it.

Are you now you're talking about the stuff that comes out of the. Can you just plop it out?

Any of that red stuff?

I'll be honest with you. Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays when it comes to food. I am a notoriously picky eater, and I really do not like any Thanksgiving food whatsoever.

Wow.

I will easily, you know, if I have other options on the table. Like if somebody, like, brought tacos, for instance, I would take tacos. I really don't care for turkey that much. I will eat it, but I don't care for it. And I'm pretty sure I'm safe to do this because I don't think my mom's gonna listen to this.

What I'm gonna mention it.

She, since I was a kid, used to make this cranberry sauce, and I used to like it quite a bit when I was a kid. As I've grown older, though, I don't care for it. So every year I have to make sure I eat a little bit of it or just tell her eventually I don't like this anymore and it's not so bad that I can't eat it. It's not like that kind of a food. But, yeah, I really don't care for Thanksgiving food at all.

Okay. I think more and more people are kind of going towards that belief, according to this podcast. And we'll talk about turkey in our next one, though.

I've never done the fried turkey. Has anybody done that?

I have not. Yeah.

Is that any better? It's better. Yeah, it's better.

We'll talk about that next week. All right, we'll talk about turkey. What about you, Cutter?

I think I go back to, you know, to dallian's, making me feel better about my pickiness and food. You know, I'm picky, feeling better about myself. But, you know, once.

Helping your ego a little.

Helping the ego that. Well played.

We talk about moms, and my mom is notorious for making these, you know, squash and all, you know, and it just like, that's. Yeah. But I've let her know it's terrible.

I'll be honest. I didn't even think of the squash. Squash is definitely the worst food out of.

I would. I don't mind, like, acorn squash with a lot of brown sugar, but you gotta have sugar.

It's like you're eating baby food.

Yeah, I agree.

Yes.

Yeah. I wouldn't. I wouldn't squash one behind my. I was worried you were gonna say yams. I actually like sweet potatoes, but I don't eat them a lot. But good stuff. Again, I don't know how we get going on that thing, but we're gonna do it again next week. And until that time, go stars.

Stars on Sports Outro: Stars on Sports is recorded live at the WLNZ studios. Engineering and production assistance are provided by Daedalian Lowry. You can listen to this episode and other episodes of Stars on Sports on demand at LCCconnect.org to find more information about our athletic program, visit LCCstars.com thanks for listening. Go Stars!