--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Through the mid-80s I watched my team…" description: "\"Through the mid-80s I watched my team struggle, but in 1988 the A's made it to the Series. I was at Game 5 that year and was forced to watch the Dodger..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/ryan-fleck-12805_celebrate_through-the-mid-80s-i-watched-my-team-st_1042473.jpg" --- # Through the mid-80s I watched my team struggle, but in… ![“Through the mid-80s I watched my team struggle, but in 1988 the A's made it to the Series. I was at Game 5 that year and was forced to watch the Dodgers celebrate a World Series Championship on our home turf.” quote by Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/ryan-fleck-12805_celebrate_through-the-mid-80s-i-watched-my-team-st_1042473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/ryan-fleck-12805_celebrate_through-the-mid-80s-i-watched-my-team-st_1042473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/ryan-fleck-12805_celebrate_through-the-mid-80s-i-watched-my-team-st_1042473.jpg) > “Through the mid-80s I watched my team struggle, but in 1988 the A's made it to the Series. I was at Game 5 that year and was forced to watch the Dodgers celebrate a World Series Championship on our home turf.” [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing a rival's victory highlighted the pain of missed opportunities and the drive to improve. **In simple terms:** Seeing others win can motivate personal growth. Key Takeaway Use rivalry as fuel for self‑improvement. Themes sports competition motivation teamwork Mood determined reflective Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - coaching sessions - player development - team meetings - personal goal setting Key Concepts psychology performance resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn others' success into personal motivation? - What habits can you adopt to close the performance gap? A Different Perspective Rival success can also demoralize if not reframed positively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-series/) ## Related quotes > [When I got out of baseball, I got all the way out. I might watch a World Series game or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollie-fingers/when-i-got-out-of-baseball-i-got-all-the-way-out-i-might-watch-a/) [Rollie Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollie-fingers/) > [It's weird coming into a game in the later innings, in a World Series game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-bellinger/it-s-weird-coming-into-a-game-in-the-later-innings-in-a-world-series/) [Cody Bellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-bellinger/) > [I don't watch teams other than Dodgers on TV and I watch the Dodgers games sparingly. I like to refresh my mind at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/i-don-t-watch-teams-other-than-dodgers-on-tv-and-i-watch-the-dodgers/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [It's just one of those things you have to move on past. Adversity is going to happen and you're going to throw interceptions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-herbert/it-s-just-one-of-those-things-you-have-to-move-on-past-adversity-is/) [Justin Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-herbert/) > [“Apparently, you never watched the ‘A Team’. The guys on that show could empty an entire magazine and never hit the side of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-alanson/apparently-you-never-watched-the-a-team-the-guys-on-that-show-could/) [Craig Alanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-alanson/) > [I don't care if it was 2 o'clock in the morning after a night game. I had to break down the film by myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-donald/i-don-t-care-if-it-was-2-o-clock-in-the-morning-after-a-night-game-i/) [Aaron Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-donald/) > [To me, when I was a kid, we watched terrible network TV because it was all we had. 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You knew what you were going to get out of E-Smith every game, every year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmitt-smith/consistency-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-my-career-you-knew-what-you/) [Emmitt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmitt-smith/) > [It is said in sporting circles that great players leave the game a year too early rather than a year too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-straeuli/it-is-said-in-sporting-circles-that-great-players-leave-the-game-a/) Rudolph Straeuli > [Just try to add more things to my game each year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-johnson/just-try-to-add-more-things-to-my-game-each-year/) [Calvin Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-johnson/) ## More by Ryan Fleck > [I think anyone who wants to go up against Captain Marvel ought to be worried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/i-think-anyone-who-wants-to-go-up-against-captain-marvel-ought-to-be/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) > [We had no interest in making a traditional sports movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/we-had-no-interest-in-making-a-traditional-sports-movie/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) > [That's the most important quality for any actor, for us: someone who can communicate what they're feeling without saying, 'This is how I feel...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/that-s-the-most-important-quality-for-any-actor-for-us-someone-who/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) > [Everything is a mess around our house. 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Once you lock in one person and then you try to find the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/the-casting-process-for-hate-mail-just-got-so-difficult-once-you-lock/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) > [Nowadays when you're shooting HD people will walk in front of the camera, it can just be rolling all the time - nobody cares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/nowadays-when-you-re-shooting-hd-people-will-walk-in-front-of-the/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) > [We learned that, when people are looking around, waiting for you to decide on what to do next, it's often best to just say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-fleck/we-learned-that-when-people-are-looking-around-waiting-for-you-to/) [Ryan Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) [Explore all 53 Ryan Fleck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-fleck/) ## More Baseball quotes > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/) [Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [Pitchers pitch differently. Hitters, hardly anyone has the same stance. That's just how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/pitchers-pitch-differently-hitters-hardly-anyone-has-the-same-stance/) [Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [I don't want the electronic strike zone. I like the element of sometimes pitches don't get called. Guys don't receive it well or whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/i-don-t-want-the-electronic-strike-zone-i-like-the-element-of/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [If I was going to make one rule change, I would bring the DH to the National League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brett/if-i-was-going-to-make-one-rule-change-i-would-bring-the-dh-to-the/) [George Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brett/) > [In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you're no longer a fan. I don't root for the Dodgers, really. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/in-all-honesty-once-you-become-a-professional-number-one-you-re-no/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [I'll tell you what's helped me my entire life. I look at baseball as a game. It's something where people can go out, enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-caray/i-ll-tell-you-what-s-helped-me-my-entire-life-i-look-at-baseball-as-a/) [Harry Caray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-caray/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. 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