The Little Things :
What Stephen R . Covey , Varsity Blues , and Punk Rock taught me about managing apartments .
BY BOB DONAHUE
As every Broncos fan has experienced for the past seven seasons , I am sitting here in football misery knowing that my team is not going to a play-off game , let alone winning a championship any time soon . Super Bowl 50 is a distant memory and “ OMAHA !” is just a city at this point , not one of Peyton Manning ’ s notable QB cadences . We do have the hope of a new coach coming and another chance to get it right in the 2023 season , but to quote The Who , “ I Won ’ t Get Fooled Again ”. I will cheer for my team , but I am going to be realistic that it is going to take time to get better .
So , when my dreams of a championship are gone , I resort to the only thing that makes me believe in the magic of football again , watching the 1999 classic ,
Varsity Blues . As the story goes , “ In West Canaan , Texas , high school football reigns supreme . When starting quarterback Lance Harbor turns up injured , the Coyotes ' ruthless coach , Bud Kilmer must promote benchwarmer Jonathon " Mox " Moxon to lead the team in its quest for a divisional title .”
The film has all the late-90 ’ s elements ; a great soundtrack , up-and-coming actors , questionable fashion , produced by MTV , and there are legendary quotes that I still use today ( much to my team and wife ’ s dismay ). As one of the main characters , Billy Bob , says during the film ( and my review of it ) “ I GIVE IT A TEN ”! Now you are more interested in watching Varsity Blues than reading , but stick with me , I will get to how all of this relates to our industry . But first , back to the exciting conclusion of the movie .
During the divisional title game , The Coyotes are digging in , playing their absolute best , and coaching themselves after a fallout with Kilmer . During the game , a song comes on by the Chicago-based band Janus called “ Every Little Thing Counts .” It is a hard rocking , get psyched tune , where the chorus reiterates over and over that “ Every Little Thing Counts ”. Spoiler alert , the Coyotes bring home their 23rd district title in the end and ride off into the sunset , just like Peyton did , as champions . Once again , my faith in football has been restored .
Every time I watch the film , the title of that song always sticks with me , " Every Little Thing Counts ". How true is that in life and in our industry ? The little things always contribute to the BIG things happening and all of it counts . This is not an idea just unique to Janus or Varsity Blues , it has been a subject of many self-improvement and
22 | TRENDS MARCH 2023 www . aamdhq . org