Being first is challenging. Recently we went to see John Cleese at a showing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Afterwards he talked about the making of the movie and his history in comedy. It turned out that he was the first person to say shit on a national television. It seemed like a minimal contribution to our society at best.
Doing this was probably some degree of personal risk. It also risked the distribution of the Monty Python franchise. It may have been accepted in the UK. But it took quite a while for any of the stations in the United States to air it. It was one station in Dallas that first agreed and it became kind of a cult classic as a result. This was a far cry from what was possible, only a decade or so earlier. On the show I love Lucy show, Lucy couldn’t even say that she was pregnant because of the censors. There was still an air of puritanical morality enforcement during that time.
You saw it slowly eroding away during the 60s as barriers were broken down. People also pushed the limits on things. John Cleese did this himself. Just for effect, and to honor his departed friend Graham Chapman, he became the first person to use the word fuck at a Memorial service. (Look for the video online – it’s worth watching). If this got me thinking, what does it take to be first in something? And how many firsts are there left to be had?
A Side Effect
Being the first at something is rarely about being the first. It just is more a side effect. It is wanting to do something and it just happens that no one has done it before. As far as I know, I was the first person to build an online cruise only travel agency. I spoke about it at conferences and we’ve actually run it for many years. It never became huge, like some other agencies, but it wasn’t done with the intent to be first.
It was simply something I want to do and I couldn’t find an example that someone has done it before. So I decided to do it anyways. That seems to be a theme that I see with people who actually do things first. It’s rare that they simply want to do it for the purpose of being first. They decide that they’re going to do something and it fits with their overall plan, and so they do it. I don’t think John Cleese meant to change what can be said on TV just for the purpose of doing it. The word fit with his material and he decided he was going to go forward with it anyways.
George Carlin followed with an intentional gesture to say the seven words you can’t say on TV. But even still, if you look at George Carlin’s overall history of material, it’s about words. So in many respects, this just fit into his overall plan.
There are lots of places you can look for someone who ended up being first. Whether it’s Roger Banister breaking the 4 minute mile, or Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s record. There are lots of first in the sports world. Some people did several firsts all at once.
Katie Sowers
Katie Sowers is an offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers. That statement, in itself is enough to get folks interested in who this remarkable woman is. Not to mention the fact that, this year, she became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl. Add to this the fact that Sowers, in 2017, became the first openly gay coach in the NFL. She is also, now, the first openly gay coach in Super Bowl history.
As one of only three females with full-time coaching roles in the NFL, Sowers is often amazed by her own career path. At 33, Coach Katie has been in love with the game for almost all of her life. As a kid in Kansas, football was her favorite sport. Throughout her life, she maintained a strong devotion to the game. She journaled about football. Katie read about football. She even played football in the Women’s Football Alliance for eight years, with the Kansas City Titans and the West Michigan Mayhem. Katie was also a member of the United States’ Women’s National Football Team.
With so much exposure to the game, one might assume there was nowhere to go but up. However, as a woman looking to play a major role in a “man’s game,” it was challenging for Sowers, herself, to see herself where she is today. Sowers never turned her back on her passion for football though.
From her roles as athletic director for Kansas City and coaching a fifth grade girls’ basketball team, Sowers football career has risen to the heights of Super Bowl 2020. As groundbreaking and big as that is, perhaps an even larger role that Sowers fills is serving as an inspiration for other girls and women who love the game. Even more, though, she serves as a role model for all those who want to accomplish dreams that are outside of the box, while remaining true to themselves.
Are you next?
Many people look at something no one has done before and see an obstacle. Others see it as a challenge that is part of their journey. The great thing about someone being the first at doing something you want to do, is that it means that you can do it too. And if no one has done something before, then there is a chance you could be the first.