Schoffel: FSU is bringing the 'F' word back to college sports
I wish I had been keeping an official tally. But if I had to guess, I'd say the ratio of references to "fun" and "smiles" outpaced the mentions of "championship" and "title" by about 5-to-1.
What has been a whirlwind week for Florida State's national champion softball team came to a beautiful conclusion Friday with the Seminoles being honored first at a Board of Trustees meeting that morning and then at a packed-to-the-gills celebration inside the Champions Club at Doak Campbell Stadium.
At both events, Lonni Alameda's club was lauded not just for what they did, but how they did it.
Sure, there were mentions of Jessie Warren's incredible dive, catch and throw in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series. There also was talk about Meghan King's record-setting ERA of 0.20 in 34 1/3 WCWS innings. And athletics director Stan Wilcox was quick to point out that the 'Noles knocked off a "who's who" of college softball powers en route to their title -- Washington (twice), UCLA (twice), Oregon and Georgia.
But what came up again and again and again was how much fun the Seminoles had doing it. And with good reason.
As much as fans love winning, and as much as we all enjoy witnessing athletic excellence, what really started this recent love affair with Florida State softball was the joy that seemed to emanate from the Seminoles' dugout. The way they played with purpose, but also with passion.
As a longtime university employee said to me during the Friday afternoon event, "Isn't this why we all started playing sports? Because they're fun?"
Yes, indeed.
But somewhere, I'm afraid, we lost our way.
Maybe it was the arrival of big-money contracts for coaches and mega-million-dollar investments by universities. Or maybe it was the "copycat" nature of coaching, where everyone has been hellbent on emulating the Nick Sabans and Urban Meyers.
Whatever the case, I don't think there's any coincidence that Florida State's fan base wrapped their collective arms around this softball team like this -- to a degree I've never seen in more than 25 years of covering college sports -- just months after the school's disappointing breakup with Jimbo Fisher and the arrival of Willie Taggart.
I don't mean that to diminish what the softball team accomplished in any way. I think FSU fans would have loved Alameda's team under any circumstances. But I also think this group came along at just the right time for an athletics program that is still in the healing process.
After watching FSU's football team grumble through the motions for the past two or three seasons, Seminole fans have been desperate to rekindle their love for the university.
It's a big reason why everyone has been so enamored with Taggart since his arrival. Not only is he excited about being at Florida State, but he wants his players to share that feeling as well. He doesn't want them to treat FSU as a pit stop on the way to the NFL. He wants them to embrace the entire university experience.
And, as wild as it might sound, he actually wants them to have fun on the field.
This past spring, Taggart and his assistant coaches were literally taking time to remind their new players to celebrate big plays and not just walk back to the huddle or the sideline. Now, think about that for a moment: They had to REMIND the players to celebrate their big plays.
Could there be a bigger sign that the program had lost its way?
And that's not just an indictment of Fisher's all-business approach, it's a reflection of where so many college coaches are missing the mark. They're so focused on "process" that they lose touch with the passion that inspired their athletes to participate in sports in the first place.
Truth be told, even Alameda admits that she had let her program fall into that trap.
If you ask insiders around the program, they'll tell you that the 2017 FSU softball team was the one that probably should have won the school's first WCWS title. It was more talented overall and deeper than the one that just claimed the crown.
But it was lacking one key ingredient.
“Our lesson from last year from Team 34 was to have a little more fun,” Alameda said. “Last year's team was amazing. We did everything right, but we forgot to celebrate the little things. So this year, we celebrated everything, and we had a blast with it. I'm so proud of them and thankful for the lessons I learned from every team to be able to move them forward.”
Like Taggart's staff did this past spring, Alameda and her assistant coaches had to make fun a priority again. When they looked back on 2017, the staff realized that the players weren't even taking pleasure in sweeping weekend series.
They felt as if that was what they were supposed to do.
A formality.
This season, they tried a new approach.
“We celebrated every little thing,” assistant coach Travis Wilson said. "And I think as a staff, we can turn around and say, ‘Hey, you can take a team, you can do it the right way. You don’t have to treat it like a business. You can treat it as fun, as a game. And you can win.’ And I think that’s probably the most prideful thing we’re going to take of it as a staff is we feel like we’ve done it the right way and we’re the national champions, and we can hang our hat on that.”
We can only hope other coaches -- in all sports -- were watching.
Early in my sportswriting career, I covered a college football program with a really bad defense. The defensive coordinator was under fire because his segment was performing poorly, and I remember paying special attention to him at practices (back when practices were open to the media).
"Fly around!" this guy would yell over and over. "Fly around and have some f***-ing fun!"
I was only like 22 at the time. I didn't know anything about anything. But even I could see how dumb that was.
Nothing says, "Play loose and have fun," more than a 40-something-year-old man cursing at 20-year-olds.
I get that there needs to be a balance. If you have fun without discipline and accountability, you probably won't succeed unless you just have worlds more talent than the competition. If players spend too much time choreographing their celebrations, then they won't have a whole lot to celebrate in the first place.
But if you can do both -- if you can achieve excellence while also having fun -- it can be downright magical.
Just look at the success Clemson's football program is enjoying right now. Or think back to Florida State's Dynasty years. And certainly take a closer look at what's going on right now with Florida State softball.
During the Friday afternoon celebration, someone wisely pointed out to me how differently Alameda and her team carried themselves in Oklahoma City, compared to some of their competition. The opposing players and coaches often looked stressed, tight. The Seminoles were polar opposites.
Looking ahead to the future, that almost has to mean more good things are in store. If you were a young softball player considering your future plans, which program would be more attractive to you?
At the end of Friday's celebration, Alameda could not have been more accommodating to fans who lined up to meet her. Many wanted autographs or to pose for pictures. Some just wanted to say thanks.
Thanks for bringing home a national championship. Thanks for assembling a group of young women who represented the university in a first-class manner.
And thanks for bringing the fun back to college sports.
The good news for Florida State fans is she's not the only one pursuing that goal. Taggart is doing the same, and I'm absolutely certain that other coaches are taking note.
With any luck, soon we'll see a full-fledged, fun-filled revolution.
Contact managing editor Ira Schoffel at ira@warchant.com and follow @IraSchoffel on Twitter.
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Talk about this story with other FSU fans on the Tribal Council.