It was cool when Joe Namath did it before Super Bowl III. It was cool when Pat Riley did it at the parade after the 87' championship. It was classic when Jimmy Johnson did it before the NFC championship game against San Francisco. The guarantee of victory has been exciting over the years as fans wait to see if the predictions come true. If the teams don't win the person making the prediction looks like a fool or a liar. If the teams win the person looks like a heroic genius. The anticipation leading up to the moment of truth is why these story lines played out in such dramatic fashion.
Nowadays the guarantee of victory has become watered down. Everybody does it. You see it happen during regular season games, you see it happen when a team is on a long losing streak, and you even see it happen when a coach is on the hot seat. The guarantee of victory is used as a motivational tool or a way to get attention more so than a personal belief. Players and coaches use the guarantee to establish a mindset for their team and their city because to expectation of winning is so critical to success. Some fans argue that the guarantee of victory puts too much pressure on players, but we hear them so often we don't take them seriously anymore. It's just talk.
There is no more "wow" factor associated with the guarantee of victory. It doesn't mean anything when everybody does it and no one feels disappointed if the guarantee doesn't happen. If you want to impress me with a guarantee of victory put something on it. Tell us you'll cut off all your hair or give away your Bentley if you lose. Tell us you'll clean the opposing teams locker room with your tooth brush. Without consequence the guarantee of victory is nothing more than an educated guess. It's time to put up or shut up.
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