Why Conor Can’t Win.
When Conor McGregor lost to Khabib, he was exposed by the limelight and has never found his way back to the true darkness that had allowed him to win. Winning won’t accept this version of Conor, because this Conor still thinks and acts like he’s winning, and Winning knows he is not. This loss to […]
ALWAYS CHASING THAT WIN: My Last Talk With Kobe
An excerpt from W1NNING: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness: One week before my friend and client Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, we spoke on the phone for the last time. We hadn’t talked in a while, and neither of us apologized for not being in touch more often. We’d send an occasional text […]
KOBE: HOW A CLEANER SAYS GOODBYE
When Kobe retired in 2016, I wrote this for Yahoo Sports. I’m heartbroken to be sharing it again under these circumstances, but even today, especially today, its message is undeniably and eternally true. -TG If you ask the greats whether they really want the classic Farewell Tour, most would say no; they just want to […]
IF YOU’RE GOING TO DRINK…Real World Advice for Athletes
I’m often asked if I “allow” my players to drink alcohol. Honestly, they don’t need my permission. Most are pro athletes who have to make their own decisions about how to protect their bodies and careers. These are grown adults, and like many adults, they like to relax once in a while; they’re no different […]
The BS Of “Healthy Eating”
I hear this over and over from athletes of all levels, from the pros to the playground: “I can’t lose weight.” You can’t, or you won’t? It usually goes like this: About a month before training camp, a player comes into my office, slumps down into a chair, shakes his head in frustration and says, […]
DRAFT DAY: The Beginning or the End?
When everything you do is about the money, if that’s the end result you crave, what happens when it ends? Because it’s going to end, whether you want to admit it or not. Someone else is going to make more, do more, and be more because you did nothing but sit back and say, “Look […]
Why Draft Combines are a Lousy Predictor of Success
This is for all the guys who firmly believe that their entire lives would have been completely different—wealthier, happier, sexier—if only they had been given the rare and awesome ability to jump. Let me make you feel better: I don’t test my players’ vertical jump. I’ll test it if someone asks me to, if a […]
PLAYING TIME: How to earn it, how to lose it.
Whether you’re a pro athlete or a kid just learning the game, you probably didn’t get into sports with hopes and dreams of sitting on the bench. It’s a lot of work. A lot of time. A lot of pressure. Hard to explain to your friends and your family, and especially to yourself. Plenty of […]
The Most Common Injury in Sports: Are You at Risk?
I write about this every year, because a) it’s important, b) no one really pays attention to this topic until they’re sitting out of the game with this preventable injury, and c) without a doubt, during every season in every sport, countless athletes will suffer lower leg injuries—calves, ankles, Achilles tendons, I’m not even including […]
We Worked So Hard” and Other Lies…Holding the Coaches Accountable
It’s the nightmare of every youth coach: The team banquet at the end of a 2-14 season. The parents are glaring at you, the kids are texting each other under the table about going home to play Xbox, and you’re giving out 16th place trophies for participation and wondering what the hell you can possibly […]
