WATCH: The coach of a losing team at the Little League World Series this week said something so moving to his young players, people all over the country are talking about it. Robin Gill has the story.
TORONTO – If you coach children, you need to take a page out of Dave Belisle’s book on how to handle losing.
Belisle coaches Rhode Island’s Cumberland Americans, who lost the Little League World Series on Monday night 8-7 to Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West.
Instead of yelling and screaming at his players for the close loss, Belisle takes a knee on the field and delivers an inspirational speech.
“If everyone would play baseball like the Cumberland Americans, this would be the greatest game,” he tells them. “You guys are awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Absolutely awesome!”
As the team listens to his speech, which was all caught on camera by ESPN, the players begin to get emotional.
“It’s okay to cry because we’re not going to play baseball together anymore,” he says. “But we’re going to be friends forever and our little league careers have ended on the most positive note that could ever be.”
As he rounds the boys up for a big group hug he tells them; “You’ve given me the most precious moment of my athletic and coaching career, and I’ve been coaching a long time. A long time. I’m getting to be an old man. I need memories like this. I need kids like this. You’re all my boys. You’ll be the boys of summer.”
At the end of his speech he gets the team to chant “Americans” before they walk off the field.
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