Top Social posts from Instagram

This is what it looks like to Compete Without Contempt.

When @usufootball linebacker @harrison_taggs suffered a frightening injury against Utah, rivalries suddenly didn’t matter.

@byufootball head coach Kalani Sitake shared how his team immediately prayed for Harrison.

@utahutes head coach Morgan Scalley opened his postgame press conference not by talking about his team’s victory but by talking about Harrison and expressing his concern and prayers for him.

Harrison had transferred from BYU. He was playing against Utah.

But both coaches saw something more important than a rivalry.

They saw a person.

We can compete fiercely. We can want to win. We can give everything we have to beat the person across from us.

But we never have to hate them to do it.

That’s Compete Without Contempt.

Great example, coaches.

Eyes up. Do the work.

#EspeciallyForAthletes #E4A #CompeteWithoutContempt #EyesUpDoTheWork Sportsmanship Leadership BYUFootball UtahFootball UtahStateFootball

Many members of E4A believe in a higher power. We wanted to share this powerful insight from Navy linebacker Marcus Bleazard about faith, service and identity.

Marcus shared that the biggest change that came from serving others—and serving Jesus Christ—for two years wasn’t physical or athletic. It was identity.
No longer was his identity tied to how a practice went or how a game went as a football player. His identity became rooted in his relationship with Jesus Christ.
It’s remarkable what happens when someone loses themselves in the service of others. Somehow, it strengthens every other part of life.
Your willingness to go and lift others never ceases to inspire us—and it’s a beautiful example of Eyes Up. Do the Work. 🙏

Trust is built one decision at a time.
Marcus Bleazard, linebacker for the Navy Midshipmen football, shared how football and the military taught him something powerful:
⏰ Be punctual
🧠 Don’t negotiate with yourself
📋 Do what you said you would do
When you listen to that inner voice and follow through—showing up on time, sticking to the plan, getting the reps—you begin to trust yourself.
And before others trust you in big moments, you have to trust yourself in the small ones.
Consistency builds confidence.
Confidence builds momentum.
Momentum leads to success.
🎙️ From Episode 157 of the Especially for Athletes podcast.
#WinTheHour #EspeciallyForAthletes #Episode157 #SelfTrust #Discipline BuildMomentum AthleteMindset Leadership

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit with the Utah Tech Blaze Dance Team, last year’s national champions. Their theme this year is simple but powerful:

Believe to Become.

As we visited with them, we shared a message that we feel applies far beyond a dance floor.

1. Becoming Is Different Than Accomplishing

Accomplishments are visible.
Becoming is internal.

Sports give us trophies, banners, rings, and recognition. But what they really offer us is something much deeper—character, discipline, resilience, humility, love for teammates, and the ability to work through adversity.

Accomplishments fade.
Who we become remains.

The greatest gift athletics give us isn’t what we achieve—it’s who we are shaping ourselves into through the process.

2. Humility Fuels Becoming

If we truly want to become all that we’re capable of becoming, we must choose humility over pride.

Becoming requires:
• Being coachable
• Welcoming feedback
• Listening instead of defending
• Responding instead of reacting

When we are humble and responsive to those who love us enough to correct us, stretch us, and teach us, we always become something more than we would have become on our own.

Pride resists growth.
Humility accelerates it.

3. Get Lost Helping Others Become

The greatest teams aren’t made up of individuals obsessed with their own performance. They’re made up of teammates with their eyes up—looking for who needs encouragement, who needs help, who needs belief.

When we lose ourselves helping others become their best selves, something powerful happens:
We become better too.

Teams thrive when:
• Teammates lift each other
• Correction is rooted in love
• Success is shared
• Struggles are carried together

That’s the kind of culture that sustains championships. We wish the blaze the best of luck as they go onto nationals.

It was awesome to have BYU cheerleaders, Ammon Montenegro and Aislee Meacham on our podcast this week. Check out the whole podcast. It was incredible. Here’s a few highlights.
Failure doesn’t define you—it refines you. 💪
And true competition doesn’t require hate—it requires heart. ❤️
In this week’s Especially for Athletes podcast, BYU cheerleaders Aislee Meacham and Ammon Montenegro share powerful insights on what it really means to compete—with love, gratitude, and resilience.
Their message is a perfect reminder heading into rivalry week:
👉 Failure can’t change your worth.
👉 Rivalry shouldn’t erase your respect.
👉 Compete hard—but always Compete Without Contempt.
🎙️ Full episode out now!
#EspeciallyForAthletes #CompeteWithoutContempt #Resilience #EyesUpDoTheWork #BYU #E4A #WinTheHour #SeekToBlessNotToImpress

Every week we sit down with athletes, coaches, and people like SUU gymnast, @kenn.mcg who have been where your kid is right now, and we ask them the questions nobody asks at the podium.

Not the highlight reel. The part where they were in over their head and had to figure out who they were going to be about it.

176 episodes and counting

Comment E4A to get the link!

#E4APodcast #EyesUpDoTheWork #Sportlight #becomeELITE

🧠 We train the body. We train the skills. Why wouldn’t we train the mind?

@drbradenbrown Associate Athletic Director of Mental Health for BYU Athletics, makes a powerful comparison in our newest Especially for Athletes podcast.

Athletes work with strength and conditioning coaches to become bigger, faster, and stronger. They work with nutrition professionals to fuel their bodies. They work with position coaches to develop the skills needed to perform.

So why would we expect them to figure out the mental side of performance on their own?
Managing emotions. Handling pressure. Responding to failure. Staying composed when the game is on the line.

Those are skills—and skills can be developed.

As Dr. Brown explains, working with someone who can help develop those mental skills may ultimately be one of the things that makes the difference in performance.

🎙️ Our full conversation with Dr. Braden Brown drops later this week on the Especially for Athletes Podcast. You won’t want to miss this one.

#EspeciallyForAthletes #BYUAthletics #MentalHealth #MentalPerformance #StudentAthlete

Is greatness boring? 🤔

What do you think? 👇

#eyesupdothework #sportlight #athletemindset #e4a mondaymotivation

The kid across the line and the teammate fighting you for the same spot are the two people making you better.

Contempt turns both of them into something to beat instead of something to push you to be your best.

Respect them and you both find another gear. That’s how a whole roster comes up.

Your Sportlight isn’t the depth chart or the scoreboard; it’s whether the person competing against you got better because you were there.

Eyes Up, Do the Work!

#Sportlight #EyesUpDoTheWork #becomeELITE #E4A

One of the most dangerous goals in life is simply trying to “be the best.”

Because if someone else is better, you may get discouraged.
And if you finally become the best in your environment, you may stop growing.

But becoming YOUR best?
That journey never ends.

That’s why this moment from Ewa Swoboda is so powerful.

She didn’t win the race.
But she achieved something she had never done before. She became better than she used to be.

Too many people allow comparison to steal the joy of growth.

Your life was never meant to be a constant competition with everyone around you. The goal is progress.

Growth. Improvement. Becoming.

Don’t just chase being the best.
Chase becoming your best.

#EspeciallyForAthletes #E4A #WinTheHour #Resilience #GrowthMindset

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight:
Ashley Matern – The Power of Not Giving Up

She suffered a brutal injury: cracked tibia. Torn ligaments. Her 2023 season ended. Most thought her career had, too.

But on Episode #154 of the Especially for Athletes Podcast, we meet Ashley Matern—now the 2024 U.S. Tumbling Champion. Her comeback story is more than inspiring, it’s unforgettable.

“Don’t close the door on yourself. If there’s still gas in the tank, make someone else close the door—you don’t shut it on yourself.”

🎧 In This Episode:

• How Ashley overcame years of setbacks
• What it takes to return after a career-threatening injury
• The mindset of an elite athlete when others doubt you
• Why your best moment might still be ahead

🏆 Highlight Moment:

“The joy after the absolute antithesis of joy.” — a commentator, watching Ashley celebrate with her coach post-victory