If You Preach Courage, Can You Model It?

I came across this clip the other day on TikTok and it cemented a couple of things for me.

First: I can’t imagine the podcast without Dr. Marc Lamont Hill. He has leveled up the conversations, challenged the thinking on the show in ways no one could have predicted, and is really the only reason I still tune in.

Second: I wonder how his question lands with coaches. If I reframed it to: “What flag are you willing to plant in the ground—what issue are you willing to be fired for?” —would I get more answers like his cohosts, or like Marc’s?

Every coach in America parrots the cliché: “You take the job knowing you’ll be fired one day.” But then we make decisions rooted in fear of being fired—whether it’s scheme choices, player personnel, or, most importantly, staying silent on things that actually matter. We “play it safe,” we “don’t rock the boat,” because employment feels more important than integrity.

And yet, this runs in direct contradiction to the mantras we feed our teams: play with courage, persevere through adversity, stand strong under pressure.

Being fired is awful (I know, I’ve lived it). But once you’ve gone through it and come out the other side, the freedom it brings—to act fully aligned with your convictions—is immense.

If we can’t model what it looks like to take a stand knowing there’s risk attached, how can we ever expect our players to?

Coach Prompts

• What issue or principle would you be willing to lose your job for? Do you know your answer right now?

• Are your day-to-day coaching decisions guided more by conviction or by fear of consequences?

• How do you model courage for your players outside of game situations?

Player Prompts

• Think of a time you stayed silent when you should’ve spoken up—what stopped you?

• Who on your team has shown courage recently, even at personal risk? How did that impact you?

• If your coach asks you to “play with courage,” what does that actually mean to you?