“Real Lessons from a Silly Show” details Aidan Hatton’s takeaways and lessons learned from hosting the podcast “Games & Grub” on Marquette University Radio. Starting an interview series after the COVID-19 outbreak, Aidan shares the valuable wisdom given by so many local and national success stories in their conversations, presented in a more professional, business-oriented context.
Written June 20, 2020
It’s been proven in statistics — there aren’t many fan bases as rabid as the fan base of Marquette Men’s Basketball.
However, when it comes to social media voices of the team, a significant amount of the Golden Eagle faithful looks to one man.
Ben Steele, the team’s beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, entertains a multitude of fans throughout the year with his informative reports, vivid game recaps, and hilarious tweets. Only four years into the job as beat writer, Steele has earned the respect and loyalty of countless fans of a program rich in tradition.
He joined Games & Grub as our final interview during the Spring 2020 interview series, and I can say without a doubt that he has pearls of wisdom for all of those seeking it — even those Marquette detractors.
When asked for his advice to aspiring broadcasters: “You just got to stick to it, man. The business is pretty volatile, and there’s a lot of people that want to be in it. You’re going to be told ‘no’ a lot, you’re going to get knocked down a lot, you’re going to have doors slammed in your face a lot. You just got to stick to it. If it’s really what you want to do, you just got to keep going at it.”
Those two words — keep going — have been an inspiration for countless individuals, including Steele. The lesson is succinct yet serviceable. One of the most powerful keepers of this idea, Winston Churchill, reminds us that “success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” Another quote attributed to the former U.K. Prime Minister puts it rather bluntly: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Staying the course during tough times is exactly the way to make it out of them. Steele navigates the murky waters of the sports media business with this same attitude, and it has brought him great success in the Wisconsin market.
On Marquette winning their first NCAA Tournament game under Steve Wojciechowski: “It seems like they’re just getting closer, but they just haven’t gotten there yet. I know that frustrates a lot of fans, but it just — sometimes it takes longer than you think.”
Ever since the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers encouraged their fans to “trust the process,” the phrase has grown in popularity across sports and other elements of American culture. The concept has gained traction for good reason. Across all lines of work, one of the hardest yet rewarding mental challenges is maintaining a long-term outlook. Past guest Cam Marotta focused a lot on this, in my write-up from last week. One of my favorite music artists, Russ, puts it this way: “The more you fight the process is the less you really let it unfold how it’s supposed to.” Steele gives a great example of one process, Marquette achieving their first tourney win under Coach Wojciechowski, and how it has taken much more time and effort than some fans have wanted.
On what he observed from Markus Howard: “The job as a beat writer, it isn’t always fun when you have to talk to guys after a tough loss, and Markus was always good about it. I don’t know if he wanted to talk to me after losses but he always knew that that was part of his job…That’s always the sign of a classy player.”
Doing things you don’t want to do — it’s the hidden part of everyone’s job description. The classic example Steele provides comes from athletes who have to address the media after every game, win or loss. The ability to keep showing up was a strength of Howard, as Steele attests. Marquette’s all-time leading scorer is a sure example of pushing through obstacles and the parts of our jobs we aren’t necessarily enthusiastic about.
Howard has been a continuous advocate for waking up early for his workouts. It may be against the norm to keep waking up at 5:00 am like the Howard family, but there may be a deeper meaning. This pattern of “seeking discomfort”— a phrase coined by the founders of the YouTube channel Yes Theory — has been spread as a powerful tool for those looking to overcome challenges and fears. Indeed, I have found in my own life that getting too comfortable makes time fly by.
When’s the last time you felt alive? I hope these lessons from Steele (and Howard too!) can shed light on what it means to persevere, succeed, and be happy. A huge thanks again to Ben for coming on, and always being a source of inspiration and entertainment. Next week, I will start to dive into past interviews conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with lessons learned from Mark Ockerbloom of Boston 25 News.
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