On Motivation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_vHiABxIuM#t=43s

Recently our insider scout, Elijah Kim, did some digging on an Ohio-based apparel company whose wares have been increasingly showing up on the heads and frames of some of the most motivated personalities of sports, music and culture (including our own LeBron James). He met up with TACKMA clothing’s Danny Victor to get a sense of the company’s unique vision.

I’ll admit I had never heard of TACKMA. FunDisclosure: I buy all my clothes at Goodwill minus my Cavalier T-shirts and other garb.  Also, I don’t watch press conferences.  But Elijah put together a summary of TACKMA and the LeBron connection (read his thoughts below) and it snapped my brain back to a topic on which I often muse: from where do people draw motivation?

If I had to rank my own most powerful source of motivation, the thing that could push me to finish one last bench rep, it would be anger.  I’m very rarely angry angry, but I always listen to very angry hard rock when I’m trying to max out on bench.  (Maxing out is essentially the maximum weight a person can lift just once.)  In these moments, peak performance exists on a sheer precipice.  Before I attempt a true one rep maximum (where an extra five pounds would be too much to physically overcome) I try to raise my adrenaline with what is probably hilarious looking air karate.  I artificially raise my respiration rate (approaching hyperventilation), and then I lay down (violently), I crash my hands together, I crank up the volume on my mp3 player and put on that one track that always seems to pump me up the most.  I enter a state of mind where I know that I’m going to lift this bar off my chest because I’m too angry for the alternative.  (And I know going in that I can do it.  The preparation ensures I will do it, as the anger fuels my effort.)

I grew up and remain a competitive person and most of the people I played sports with seemed to draw on anger quite well. It served me and my best friend during our reign of dominion over Parma Heights baseball.  We hated losing, and we’d get angry at anything that threatened our winning (mainly, opposing players).  So it really threw me for a loop when I married a runner that would not respond (she would actually shut down) to all my motivational tactics.   When I’d cheer my wife on during her races “COME ON!  DON’T LET THIS DUDE PASS YOU!” (I got some stares), I came to find out that this was the worst possible approach.  Puzzled, I asked her “what the heck did your high school coach say to you to motivate you?” The answer: (a patronizing) “just have fun with it!”

LOL

But this is apparently a real thing.  And I thought about it this week when I read this NYT article about how the Golden State Warriors begin practices.  If I coached a bunch of knuckleheads doing that, they’d be running laps.  But there has to be something here.  Remember Manny Ramirez?  So I spend a lot of time thinking about what motivates people, because therein lies the secret to unlocking a multiplier.  The more I think about the Golden State Warriors, the more that approach makes sense.  They spring up the court and jack up transition 3s with no sense of consequence.  Like Manny Ramirez using a broken bat because he liked how it felt. (He hit a home run with an already broken bat)

Hot tub vines notwithstanding, I don’t think that’s describes the Cleveland Cavaliers and I don’t think that’s Ohio.  (Didn’t we throw Andrew Bynum off the team for doing this?)

We’re the state where everything goes wrong and we thrive or we survive.

The Wrights’ initial confidence waned, however, as they began to confront an unsettling pattern of setbacks. Between technical problems and bad weather, they at times wondered if their self-assured intention to fly the airplane in 1903 was premature.  [Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum]

“NASA had a leader at the exact moment they needed it,” said Richard K. Davis, Chair, President and CEO of US Bancorp, who introduced the former Apollo astronaut at the reception. “With the help of many, Lovell and his crew created the outrageous but amazing solution to plot Apollo 13 back home. NASA found they had a cool, calm, competent leader, a hero who took this crew and a nation from ‘Houston we have a problem’ to America, we have a miracle. [On Jim Lovell, Native Clevelander]

That’s us.  We’re inventors, problem solvers, builders, grinders, improvisors, survivors.  We don’t make the iPhone, the thing you never needed or knew you wanted but are now dying to have because it’s hip.  Teflon, drop ceiling, vacuum cleaners, cash registers, powered flight, the mother-freaking light bulb — that’s what we make.  Why do we do this?  Because it’s necessary, and we’re some of the toughest people in the world.  Where do we draw our motivation?  There is no single answer, but as a lifelong resident of 30+ years, I sense a strong undercurrent welling up inside the people of the Buckeye State that, when obstacles and setbacks arise, goes something like this: “I’m. Not. Finished.”

The Cavaliers should not be here.  They struggled for so long, took a huge gamble, expended a ton of energy to catch up in the conference standings, lost Kevin Love, sustained multiple nagging injuries to many of the rotation players and a significantly hampering injury to Kyrie Irving, and yet… they’re not finished.

https://vine.co/v/ebbdWJUzV9V

Our sons are LeBron James and Jesse Owens.  Rising from nothing.  Struggling, taking chances, grinding, honing, and becoming the most famous men on the planet.

Riley had great influence on Owens, both technically and mentally. It was Riley who taught his athletes that training for longer races would help them in the 100- and 200-yard dashes. At the same time, Riley taught the mental aspect of competition. His motto, “Train for four years from next Friday,” emphasized long-term rather than short-term gains. [Jesse Owens – Growing Up]

So that’s how Jesse Owens’ high school coach motivated him.  I’m not sure how David Blatt motivates the Cavs, but I have a sense that he has a huge chip on his shoulder that has rubbed off on his locker room.  I understand the psyche of CavsNation, and why we reflexively sing ever more loudly in the face of the national media’s Warrior-coronation.  We get angry, we strike, because, don’t they know? They already forgot the lessons of one of Ohio’s greatest motivators, Urban Meyer: We’re not finished.

TACKMA

by Elijah Kim

As a Cavaliers and LeBron fan, it always fascinates me to observe what the King wears during his post-game press conferences. It was interesting to see the hat that LeBron wore at the presser after Derrick Rose’s buzzer beater in Game 3 of the Chicago Bulls series. In the picture below, LeBron is wearing a hat that probably was the basis of many Twitter searches.

After a search of my own, I found out that the “RWTW” stands for “Rolling with the Winners” with the T having a distinct thunderbolt pattern. This thunderbolt “T” is the TACKMA logo.

LeBron is no stranger to the TACKMA brand. He has proudly worn TACKMA dating to his days in Miami.  Vice Sports Erica Euse profiled TACKMA this past fall.

Here, he is pictured wearing TACKMA shorts during a special ESPN interview with Rachel Nichols.

LeBron is not alone in wearing TACKMA. Other NBA players such as Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, and many more proudly wear the TACKMA brand. After seeing this pervasive thunderbolt over and over, I was curious to learn more about exactly what TACKMA is and the story behind it. I did some research, and it was fascinating to learn the inception of the brand.

TACKMA is actually an acronym. It stands for “They All Can Kiss My Ass.” Creator Jeffrey Schottenstein, an Ohio native, has said that the acronym is something that is relatable to everyone, especially in perennially underrespected Ohio (see above). Jeffrey created the idea from a frustration; trademarking it quickly after coming up with the idea.

To get an even better perspective, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to speak with TACKMA’s Danny Victor, pictured below second from the left. Jeffrey Schottenstein is next to him on the right.

In my conversation with Danny, it was very clear of how optimistic he is for the brand. NBA Superstars, such as LeBron, have been willing to wear TACKMA apparel without being paid, conveying an authentic message to the public that the product is stylish and desirable. In addition to NBA players, rappers like Drake and Fabolous have also worn TACKMA.

Although it’s not yet a household name, TACKMA has managed to garner some impressive street cred. And while they’re very proud to get to this point, Danny assured me that they know their work is not finished.

Danny talked about just how far the idea has come. TACKMA started as an reflection of the struggles that accompany many of the day-to-day decisions that people face in their lives. These struggles include the proclamations of the doubters. An idea became a brand. That brand eventually blossomed into a full collection of clothing and apparel. That collection is now worn by thousands of people. Not bad.

The brand is still relatively new, but after spending some time learning about their vision, I have a hunch that they will become a big deal in the fashion industry. TACKMA itself embodies the idea of doing something that people tell you that you can’t do.  Don’t be surprised if you see LeBron donning more TACKMA garb during the Finals.  After all, he wore it during the somber press conference after the D Rose buzzer beater and reeled off seven straight wins. “TACKMA” indeed.

Your faithful scout,

–EK

TACKMA on the web at:

www.tackma.com

Instagram: @Tackma_

Twitter: @TACKMA