This one is a tribute.
Every CFL team has a captain, and in our league the captain is manager, coach, and player at once.
Before anyone touches a ball, they have already recruited at HR, fought for the company sponsorship, collected from everyone, gotten the uniforms made, and put twelve busy calendars in sync. Then comes the hardest call: who plays. Suddenly you’re benching your best player, or yourself, so everyone gets their minutes.
All of this while keeping up your performance at work.
THE TEAM IS A MIRROR
Watch any team for three matchdays and you learn something that travels far beyond the pitch: the team is a reflection of its captain.
Motivated captain, hungry team. Complaining captain, conflicted team. Calm captain, and suddenly everyone plays. Your team mirrors you long before it obeys you.
And this is something that never stops amusing me when I start a new edition: the league develops fastest the moment the captains stop saying “your league” and start saying “ours.” Ownership is the moment a group becomes a club.
To every captain reading this: what you do is seen.
In the CFL, it matters more than you know.
Who is your “O Captain, my Captain” on grass or at the office?
Let me know, I’ll read you every time.
Leo
