Rethinking What Winning Means
- David Pullara
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Erling Haaland is like Sesame Street's Elmo: a lovable monster.
I don't typically watch sports, but, like many, I've become obsessed with this year's World Cup. And the reason why would be a huge disappointment to my football-loving Sicilian father, who's still mad that Italy didn't qualify this year...
Norway's Erling Haaland.
Before this year, I had literally never heard his name. But now I can't get enough of him!
The interesting facts. ("He eats 6,000 calories a day, and favours beef hearts!")
The amusing antics. (He has been caught drinking water from bottles belonging to goalies from competing teams during breaks in games!)
The generosity. (He bought a 16th-century book of Viking sagas for $134,000, then donated it to his local library in Norway so that the community could connect with its heritage.)
And the man's terrific sense of humour! (Google "Haaland" and watch pretty much any video that comes up.)
I also love the fact that he's HUGE!
He is not built like a typical soccer player... and I have to use "soccer" here to avoid confusion, because he IS built like a typical American football player.
But there's something else I find absolutely fascinating about Haaland.
He developed in a country that has a very different idea of how kids should engage with sports than what I've seen in North America.
In North America, we identify talented athletes early and then push them hard. Many burn out long before they reach the professional level.
But in Norway, the mentality is very different:
"We don't rate human worth based on whether you are good or bad at kicking a ball."
They encourage kids to play multiple sports, develop skills that carry over across them, and have lots of fun.
And the results are certainly speaking for themselves this year.
As a parent of four kids (three of whom are actively in competitive sports), Haaland's performance has me rethinking my views on competition, performance, and what "winning" means at this level.
And continuing to evolve and improve your thinking is a pretty significant win whether it applies to sports, business, or life.
P.S. If you want to read more about Norway's sport philosophy, below are two great articles on the subject:
1. "No league tables, no trophies: how Norway made sport fun for kids – and built a football team that beat Brazil" (The Guardian)
2. "This Nation Breaks Every Rule of U.S. Youth Sports—and Built a World Cup Monster" (The Wall Street Journal)
Don't feel like reading, but like hilarious ads?
Enjoy this hilarious 2025 Nike spot featuring Haaland that I only recently discovered...
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