2 Corinthians 5:7 – “for we walk by faith, not sight.” (ESV)
Brian Dodd and Travis Freeman
I cannot recommend the film 23 Blast enough. The movie is based upon the life of Travis Freeman, who bravely competed in high school football after being suddenly struck with irreversible blindness. Through our mutual friend, Senior Pastor Drew Mahan of Forward Community Church in Corbin, KY, I had the privilege of recently spending some time with Travis (see the picture on the left).
Travis is a wonderfully Godly man whose life deserves to be memorialized in film. His story will encourage and inspire anyone currently facing overwhelming challenges in their life. The following are 23 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From 23 Blast. Enjoy!
- Lack Of Preparation Causes People To Lose Trust In Leaders – Early in the film, quarterback Jerry Baker (who was also Freeman’s best friend) was benched for his refusal to learn the plays.
- Adversity Is Rarely Planned. It Almost Always Arrives Unexpectedly – Freeman was a star athlete who suddenly developed headaches for no reason. This resulted from a virus which then caused severe facial swelling and ultimately blindness.
- Leaders Call For High Commitment – Head Coach Farris told Baker, “You’re focused. I need you to step up.”
- Improvisation As A Strategy Is Unsustainable – Successful leaders do not “wing it”. Because he did not know the plays, Baker would just have Freeman go deep for a pass. This proved to be an unsustainable strategy. For more on the dangers of relying on outliers and improvisation, click HERE.
- Leaders Always Point To A Brighter Tomorrow – When visiting Freeman in the hospital, Baker said, “You’re going to be fine. You’re Travis Freeman.”
- Leaders Are Encouragers – Freeman’s mother Mary said, “He lost his way but he’ll figure it out.”
- Leaders Improve With Great Coaching – Freeman got increasingly better when state-appointed skills coach Patty Wheatley helped him re-learn how to navigate life.
- Everyone On The Team Has Something To Contribute – Before Freeman joined the team, Coach Farris allowed him to speak into defensive personnel alignments.
- Losing Never Gets Easy For Leaders – Like all leaders would, Coach Farris was emotionally spent after losing the first game of the season.
- Leaders Are Passionate About Their Assignments – Coach Farris told Freeman, “I’ve never coached a boy who loves football as much as you.”
- Leaders Are Flexible – Blessed are the flexible because they will never be bent out of shape. Because of Freeman’s blindness, he could no longer play wide receiver. Coach Farris said, “You’re not a gazelle anymore. You’re a pit bull.”
- Leaders Create Memorable Moments – The real life Travis Freeman has a cameo in the movie playing a pastor who speaks into the fictitious Freeman’s life. As Travis humorously told me during our lunch together, “The sexiest actor in the movie is the guy playing the pastor!”
- Leaders Expand The Worldview Of Those On Their Teams – Great leaders make you look at life differently. The pastor said, “How would you respond if what you saw right now is what you would see the rest of your life.”
- Leaders Are Self-Aware – Upon his decision to return to playing football, Freeman tells his parents, “I’m Travis Freeman. I’m going to play football.”
- Everyone Needs An Advocate – The school’s inept athletic director did not want Freeman to play football. This resulted in state employee Wheatley intervening with possible legal action.
- Great Leadership Has A Foundation Of Trust – When the assistant coach was questioned about the seriousness of Coach Farris letting a blind athlete play football, he said, “If the coach says he’s going to do something, he does it.”
- Great Leaders Sacrifice For The Good Of The Team – Star lineman Cameron Marshall was willing to move from his center position to guard allowing Freeman to play.
- Extra Practice Improves Performance – While experiencing initial failure, extra late night practices improved Freeman’s ability to play the position.
- Extra Repetitions Improve Performance – This is something all public speakers know. The more evaulted reps you get, the more you will improve.
- Leaders Are Resilient – Freeman kept coming back again and again despite constant disappointment.
- Not Everyone Wants Leaders To Succeed – And this is not just the competition. Jealousy is a constant unwelcome companion of successful leaders.
- Leaders Give Others Security And Confidence – As the team prepared to score the game-winning touchdown which put them in the state playoffs, Baker confidently said, “I’m the quarterback. You’re Travis Freeman.”
- Christian Leaders Can Overcome Anything With God – Just prior to scoring that touchdown, Freeman said, “Whom shall I fear?”
Once again, this movie holds a special place in my heart because of my friendships with those involved in the film. You should go see it. It will give you the confidence to overcome the challenges you currently face.
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