The Will To Win

Hate to say that I told you so, but -- I told you so.

If you read that entire post, the key phrase is this: Florida doesn't lose. I knew that, and a few other media types knew it, too. Even if you hate the Florida Gators -- and Lord knows, Joakim Noah wanted you to "Keep Hatin'" -- you have to admit that the Gator boys are hot.

Not a day goes by that I don't find myself explaining to some Sun Sports viewer why we make certain programming decisions. I stirred the pot, memorably, at Scout.com's Miami Hurricanes site by replying to a thread that asked why Sun Sports gives ample pregame and postgame football coverage to the Gators and the Seminoles, and not to other programs like Miami (or, in unrelated but similar internet blasts, programs like USF).

The simple answer has to do with those schools' broadcast agreements with our network, or with their conferences' contracts with national TV networks like ESPN, or perhaps with demand. TV networks like Sun Sports react to demand; we do not determine that demand. If a one-hour behind-the-scenes profile of Billy Donovan generates ratings, we will produce it. The fact that the University of Florida chooses Sun Sports as a broadcast partner -- as does Florida State -- simply makes such an initiative easier to put together. We're not "fans" of any one school the way that you are "fans." We are doing this for a living. People watch Gator programming in larger numbers, and with greater loyalty, than they do for the USF Bulls, who are, in their own right, an exciting and intriguing story. Same holds true for any other comparison. It's dollars and cents, for the most part. There's nothing for us to gain by "favoring" one program over another. I've explained this in detail in many an e-mail exchange. A rising tide, I like to say, lifts all boats. If every team in Florida contended for national championships every year, we'd be thrilled. Honestly, it makes no difference to us, and we get no particular thrill -- no emotional, visceral enjoyment -- from seeing one program succeed over another. This is our business, and it's only a business. That's the price we pay for working in sports television. You cheer and scream at the TV; we worry about the next show we have to produce and edit.

Everyone clear on that? Good. Because here's where I go off the board.

What Florida has done is nothing short of stunning. It's an absolute line in the sand, a gauntlet thrown down. The University of Florida has officially changed the game in our fair state. There are at least five schools in Florida that have the internal resources to compete at the highest level on an annual basis; however, as of this writing, there is only one that also possesses the commitment to prove it on the field, or on the court. And as of this moment, that school is Florida.

You don't think Florida State could be a basketball power? Tell me why not. They play in the ACC, in a spectacular college town, with great weather and decent facilities. Yet, they struggle. Why?

In terms of football, Miami is down. Why? Has Coral Gables changed? Is there any lack of high school talent in our state, particularly in South Florida? Hardly. Quite the opposite, in fact. But Miami is down. Did we do that? What I mean is, did Sun Sports cause this to happen? Not even close.

USF had a phenomenal year on the football field last season. By any measure, they are improving, and battling for national recognition. On the basketball side -- and there are those who would insist to this day that USF is, at heart, a basketball school -- Stan Heath was a brilliant hire. They're not doing anything wrong.

But they're not Florida, are they? Right now, nobody is. I say again: what the University of Florida is doing right now is nothing short of stunning. And as the sports television network of record in our state, Sun Sports is obligated to give the Gators their due. Truthfully, I'm flabbergasted. I cannot believe that this Friday, I will be back in Gainesville -- again -- to host a national championship celebration on live television. Again.

For the record, this marks the fifth time that I have hosted a championship parade-slash-pep rally for a Florida team in the three-and-a-half years since I moved back to my home state to work for Sun Sports. Three of those five champions have worn orange and blue: 2006 NCAA basketball, 2006 BCS football, 2007 NCAA basketball. The other two -- the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Lightning and the 2006 NBA Champion Heat -- are at least in the playoff conversation as of this moment. Theoretically, we could have another repeat champion on our network as of June.

But it's not like Florida. Not right now. I'm not a Gator fan, not the way many readers are "Gator Fans." But I have to give them their due. This is ridiculous.

How does this happen? It happens with commitment, a term that loosely translates to "money," as in salaries for coaches like Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan. But that doesn't tell the whole story, does it? Bobby Bowden makes a nice salary, too. It cannot simply be about money -- and on that topic, if Donovan decides to leave Gainesville to take the Kentucky job, it won't be because of money. Donovan will coach at Kentucky if, and only if, he wants to be Kentucky's head coach. The dollars will be there either way.

What it comes down to is a conscious decision, right or wrong, to provide coaches and athletes with every conceivable tool to succeed. That means facilities, staff, support, and other quantifiable assets. It also means will. The will to win. The will to stand up in the face of economic reality and assert that winning games matters. That's a bold statement these days, one that generates a great deal of worthy criticism. Florida, with Jeremy Foley pulling the trigger, has made that call. Winning matters. It's a permeating philosophy, a culture of success, that brings great pressure to those who are on the ground level. Ask Carolyn Peck what that means.

Florida has decided to win, and like any successful business venture, they've achieved total buy-in from all of their shareholders. We're talking about players and coaches, yes, but also administrators, alumni, and boosters. It's a global effort. Somehow, they've done it. It may not last forever -- and history teaches us that it won't -- but for now, they've found the magic formula. Bully for them.

It's stunning. It's unmatched. And now, it's the new standard.

When I write that "a rising tide lifts all boats," I mean it. There's no legitimate reason why Florida State, or Miami, or USF, or UCF, cannot compete for national championships year in and year out. All of those schools have the resources, and all of those schools are drawing from the same pool of talent. It's there for the taking. The difference is the will.

Florida has the will. They don't lose. Not any more. This is the new reality in our home state. Love them or hate them, you have to give them that. Utterly stunning.

And once again, I'll see you on TV. Unbelievable. Impressive.