Why I Support Under Armour™

Origin of Under Armour's 'Rule Yourself' Campaign

Adam Peake, executive vice president of global marketing for Under Armour, said: "The concept of the ‘Rule Yourself’ campaign is simple — you are the sum of all of your training. 

"It’s the only way to get better, and it’s the common thread that unites each of our all-star athletes around the globe," 

"We also want to give them that extra inspiration to improve everyday, to keep building their inner army and to stay focused on success even when the going gets tough."

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How I Got Hooked

My obsession with the UA brand began two weeks ago when I saw this Phelps' 'Rule Yourself' video on facebook.

Phelps' re-energized and whole-hearted commitment to his craft inspired me. I say "re-energized" because I didn't always view Phelps as 100% committed. Similar to Tom Cruise's character Maverick in Top Gun, Phelps re-engaged, despite temporarily losing sight of what brought him strength and happiness.

The fact that Phelps smoked pot while training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (when he won 8 gold medals) shocked me and bothered me. How could someone achieve such greatness who wasn't living a fully connected life? Confused, I disregarded his legendary performance, chalking it up to nothing more than hitting the genetic lottery and sprints of insane training. Then recently, when I learned that Phelps would be making a comeback at the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics, I realized that there was more to his story. What had Phelps been up to for the past four years? What I discovered resonated with me so profoundly that I straightway went to the local outlet mall and purchased $300 worth of UA apparel.

See for yourself. Yesterday, this 'Backstage' video was released on Phelps' facebook page, which summarizes my thoughts on his recent journey:

My Story

For years, I've tried to muddle my way through life, reacting to opportunities as they arose, without a clear view of what I actually wanted in life. While money, prestige, and even personal curiosity were not huge motivators for me, I have discovered (mostly thanks to my time serving as a full-time LDS missionary) that I am intrinsically motivated by improving the quality of other people's lives. *Shocker* In order to do that I feel like I need to do two things: increase my Christlike discipleship, and finish my dissertation.

I can't do those two things, meaningfully, on my own; I need God's divine help. While I like to believe that I possess some inherent acuity or spiritual gift at perceiving others' needs (when I focus my attention on them), I recognize that only God can truly know others' needs. To tap that knowledge, I'll need to better connect with Him. Partnering with Christ brings power and meaning to any righteous effort. I know that with Christ, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). But how to connect with Him? I was taught in primary that God's spirit accompanies those who keep his commandments. Since then, I've discovered that developing a relationship with God is not unlike the process of making friends with anyone else: desire closeness, talk often, listen closely, share things with each other, do little things to make them happy. Concretely, I need to re-establish certain spiritual hygiene  habits—remembering God throughout the day, communing with God through regular prayer, learning of Him through scripture study, etc. The trouble is, I'm in a place right now where even those simple things seem like promethean efforts. So in order to get myself into shape to develop this basic spiritual hygiene, I've successfully made some preparatory changes to my lifestyle: I've balanced my diet, regulated my sleep rhythms, formed regular daily routines, prioritized my calendar, and more.

In addition to continually inviting Christ to be with me in my personal efforts, I must follow a three-step pattern of consecration over time:

1. focus my will (define motivation)
2. connect decisions (form habits)
3. act virtuously (endure)

Focus of Will

All the psychology books say that in order to change behavior, you must first change the mind and heart. In a poem about Sir Galahad's quest for the Holy Grail, Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote, "My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure." I must keep in mind the vision I have for myself, and remind myself of it daily.

Connected Daily Decisions

Mental toughness alone, however, is not enough to become. Do you remember with which metaphysical material they say the path to hell is paved? I don't know about you, but there is a disconnect that often exists between my desires/intentions and my actions. It's not always simple to bring momentary decisions in line with an overarching goal. This will take support from roommates, family, friends, and especially God, who's Spirit I pray is with me throughout each and every day. I will fall short daily of identifying the best choices. But I will learn how to improve these mistakes through reflection and feedback. If I am going to have the strength to become the person I want to become, I must attempt to align all 100,000 of my daily decisions with my desired outcome. Once these countless daily actions intertwine like the strands of a rope, over time, my character will become unbreakable.

Act Virtuously

With my decisions in line with my true desires, I next need to establish a pattern of following through with my decisions so that they no longer become decisions, but part of my nature. The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal (among other books) talks about how we all have a reserve of self-control that is depleted through decision making throughout our day. The more trivial things we can automate, the more willpower we will have in reserve for making those tough choices in our daily lives. If I am going to become, I will need all the willpower I can muster.

#RuleYourself

Last week, after thinking about this pattern, I saw another Under Armour ad, which perfectly resonated with my vision for myself. Like Stephen Curry, I am the "sum of all my training."

***End of Blogpost***

Oh, hi. Want more? Here you go.

Possible Future of the UA Brand

The Under Armour brand has already pushed the envelop in defining what an athlete is by featuring Misty Copeland (ballerina soloist, American Ballet Theater), and Gisele Bündchen (profession model and mother). I am digging Under Armour's latest marketing campaign, "Rule yourself." But I think they are failing to reach potential markets. The idea of ruling one's self extends far beyond the realm of athletics. To truly rule yourself in a single domain (e.g., sports), you must focus on your goal to the point of complete dedication. It means aligning all of your behaviors to a defined value/vision/goal, regardless of the necessary sacrifice.

UA's next marketing step needs to take their brand beyond athletics and into business and personal development markets. The UA brand speaks to all individuals who are ready to truly dedicate every aspect of their lives to a single purpose. For me, this means a consecrated life of Christian discipleship.

Current UA-Sponsored Athletes

More Michael Phelps

In the beginning, Phelp's parents got him into swimming because they didn't know how to manage his abundance of energy. As a youth, Phelp's swim coach, Bob Bowman, noted his long torso and giant hands and feet and told him he could be great. Phelps swam because he loved "what he did." To me this means that he was primarily motivated by his own curiosity for excellence. He must have wondered, just how great can I become? Then one day, he became the best in the world.

"The Lord blesses all who want to improve." —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2016 Gen Con

So what now? I don't know what motivates Phelps now, but apparently he aims to become better than the best. Some Australians just beat the American record, so it's time to set new a WR. In order to attain that level of achievement, Phelps needed to reconnect to his passion for the sport. Once he had done that, he also needed to align everything in his life with that ultimate goal.

"I was able to re-find that love and re-find that passion that I had when I was in high school. I wanted to do something that no one else had done before. Today, I find myself spending literally every second of the day trying to recover…this is the first time I've been fully engaged in everything that I'm doing…I didn't let anything stand in my way. I'm enjoying it more than I ever have."

The thing I love about Phelp's story is that through re-discovering his passion he has chosen to align all his behaviors with his goal. No more pot. No more anything that distracts him. He is truly ruling himself.

Memphis Depay

Another name under the Under Armour brand that I love is professional footballer, Memphis Depay. In my opinion, Memphis is not the greatest soccer player; his stats are actually quite average even next to his fellow teammates on Manchester United. But this reminds me that it's not his skills  that Under Armour is praising. The 'Rule Yourself' campaign, focuses not on the glory of winning, but on the grind of training. "It's what you do in the dark," the commercial reads, which make him the best he can be.

What do all of these athletes have in common?

1. A clear of understanding of their ideal. (E.g., personal best, the world record, perfection)
2. A commitment to a set of values that drives their actions. (I.e., they all have a reason why they do what they do.)
3. A unified focus and self-determination. (I.e., these individuals desire that everything they do, everyday, will move them towards their ideal.)

"It's what you do in the dark that will put you in the light."

Stephen Curry

We are the sum of our actions. Day in. Day out.

In this spot, I love how not every instance of Curry performs the skill perfectly. If we've given our all to our goal, even when we make mistakes, our outcome will be magnificent.

Striving for bigger and better things.

Steph Curry is arguably the greatest basketball player currently in the NBA. His mantra, "I can do all things," which is written on his shoes.  This reminds me of a scripture in 1 Corinthians 4:13, which states, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." He doesn't say it, but I want to believe that Steph Curry finds strength and hope in Christ, which allows him to work through discouragement, loss, and personal failure.

Click here to view Under Armour's 'Rule Yourself' YouTube playlist, which kicked off in Aug 2015 and is currently releasing ads.

Andy Murray

I don't think there anyone on tour that is working harder than Andy Murray. He wants that #1 spot. And this could be his year!

Others Who Deserve an Under Armour™ Contract

Adam LaRoche, 2016 Retired MLB Player

Adam LaRoche is so committed to something that he gave up a $13 million MLB contract with the White Sox. The question is, why? I have three suspicions of things he is more committed to than baseball:

1. FAMILY MAN — One of the little known (until now) things about LaRoche is that he included in his contract that his son could be with him 100% of the time. When the White Sox changed their policy this year, the media assumed LaRoche ended his contract early in order to be with his 14-year-old son.
2. OTHER PASSION — LaRoche owns part of a hunting company, and a ranching company. LaRoche may just want to take it easy and spend more time on other passions.
3. GOD'S WORK — It was recently discovered that LaRoche, while working for the MLB and acting on his faith in God, served as an undercover agent to help rescue underage sex workers in South East Asia.

So far, LaRoche's motives are still unclear.

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President Heber J. Grant, LDS Prophet (1856 – 1945)

As a small child, President Grant could not carry a tune. When he was 10, a music instructor tried to teach him the simplest song and finally gave up in despair. At age 26, when he became an Apostle, he asked Professor Sims if he could teach him how to sing. After listening to him, Professor Sims replied, “Yes, you can learn to sing, but I would like to be forty miles away while you are doing it.” This only challenged him to try harder.

President Grant one time said, “I have practiced on the ‘Doxology’ between three and four hundred times, and there are only four lines, and I cannot sing it yet.” It is reported that on a trip to Arizona with Elder Rudger Clawson and Elder J. Golden Kimball, President Grant “asked them if he could sing one hundred songs on the way. They thought he was joking and said, ‘Fine, go right ahead.’ After the first forty, they assured him if he sang the other sixty they would both have a nervous breakdown. He sang the other sixty.”

By practicing all of his life he made some improvement in singing but perhaps not as much as in baseball and penmanship, which he mastered. President Grant had a favorite quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson which he lived by: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.”

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John Wayne Parr "The Gunslinger," Muay Thai Boxer

I love this guy. He doesn't just train for fights, he lives the fully-connected life of a Muay Thai boxer. He respects the process. He shows honor to his opponents. (Just skip around in the video below and listen to his interviews; so classy.) Plus, he's arguably the best in the world.