You’ve seen them before. Athletes who compete at a level far beyond what their abilities would lead you to think they are capable of. Athletes who want the ball when the game is on the line. They want the odds stacked against them. It’s when they feel alive. Some people call it having heart, but we call it Gameness. Do you have it?
So what is Gameness?
Gameness is a term that originated as a way to describe and represent a special type of dog, but we can see this characteristic in athletes. The idea of Gameness is something most of us will rarely ever know, see, or feel.
There are plenty of dogs that will do what they are bred to do, but that doesn’t mean they have true Gameness. It’s often misrepresented. Gameness isn’t a weight pull bred dog pulling 900 lbs, all that means is the dog is strong as hell. It isn’t a strong athlete who drives their opponent back play after play. Gameness isn’t a crazy acting, foaming at the mouth dog, because it sees another dog, that is just blind aggressiveness. It isn’t an athlete who attacks a weak opponent upon beginning a game. Gameness isn’t a dog taking a hold of another weaker dog, that is just purely what they were bred to do. It isn’t an athlete engaging an opponent and locking on, you are supposed to do that. Gameness isn’t a symbolic W or a Ch, that just means he is a Pit Bulldog. It isn’t an athlete simply putting on a uniform and stepping on a field as part of a great team. That all means nothing. Great, you are a good player. Guess what, eventually there will be a better player who comes along and beats you. But if you are Game… maybe not.
Gameness is absolute destruction of anything in it’s path, with a no quit, never relenting attitude, no eye rolling, no questioning, no hesitation to move across the line and step into impossible odds. Zero attention is paid to their surroundings. Zero attention is paid to the odds. The size of the other dog. The ability of the other dog. It doesn’t matter. There is a singular focus – the present moment. The task at hand. A razor sharp focus. Eyes up, eyes forward with the rest of the world silent, except for the opponent across from them. It is nothing but full out Relentless Chaos, straight from the heart, rooted in love, until it’s all over. True Gameness does not stop at fatigue, nor does it stop when physical harm is sustained. A true Game dog continues moving forward in spite of broken bones, torn muscles, fatigue, and unconquerable odds. He knows nothing else but moving forward relentlessly. With love in his heart and chaos in his eyes.
Compete with Gameness inside you. Live with Gameness inside you.