You have a lot more in common with these guys than you may realize. (Image via foxsports.com)
Sports are often used as a metaphor for life, and with that in mind, they can also be used as a metaphor for how to have a successful career in music. Currently, the MLB playoffs are upon us, and with the best of the best battling it out on a nightly basis to claim baseball supremacy, there's no better time to take a look at how getting to and winning a World Series involves a lot of the same qualities artists need to have if they want to achieve greatness.
So while you’re watching Yoenis Cespedes hit another home run, here are some ideas from the playoffs that can help you to hit one of your own for your career.
1. It takes years of building to get to the top
A popular hyperbole in sports is that a team "came out of nowhere" to make it to the postseason. The phrase is never true. No team you see in the playoffs was built overnight. In fact, all of them had multi-year plans, as should a music career. If you want to achieve greatness, you have to take the time to lay the foundation for it. No one is an overnight success.
2. You need a talented team around you
Being an all-star is great, but there are plenty of all-stars who are watching the playoffs from home. This is because they need a better team around them. For an artist, this typically includes a manager, publicist, and booking agent (among others). No matter how incredible you are, you can't win it all by yourself.
[How to Build the Dream Team for Your Music Career]
3. You have to trust the people you've hired
In game seven of the 2014 World Series, the San Francisco Giants needed to shut down the Kansas City Royals. In the fifth inning, clinging to a one-run lead against a hot-hitting team, they handed the ball to their ace, Madison Bumgarner, who had already won games one and five, the latter being just three days earlier. Bumgarner once again stymied the Royals, and the Giants became champions for the third time in five years.
The moral of this story is if you've hired someone to do a job, don't be afraid to hand them the proverbial ball. You have them on your team for a reason – let them be great for you.
4. A few stumbles aren't the end of the world
The NLCS, ALCS, and World Series are all best out of seven. This means a team can lose three games and still come out on top. Consider everything you do in your career a seven-game series, and don't stress the occasional minor setback.
5. Major losses are also major teaching moments
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you might lose a seven-game series. Here's the good news: your losses will teach you everything you need to know about your needs. When a team loses in the playoffs, they go home with a precise idea of what they need to work on for next season. When you take a loss in your career, the same ideology applies. Look at what happened, and see where you need to improve to make your next effort that much better.
[3 Important Lessons You Learn When Your Band Fails]
6. Home-field advantage is all about the fans
Teams play the entire season with a goal of having the best record, because the best record means home-field advantage. That's one more game in front of 50,000 enthusiastic fans, and every athlete will tell you it's a lot more fun playing for a cheering crowd.
Just as every athlete appreciates every fan who cheers them on, you should appreciate every person who comes to see you play. Go all out for them. Let your fans know their presence truly matters. If they know they're appreciated, they'll continue to come out to support you.
Adam Bernard is a music industry veteran who has been working in media since 2000. If you live in the NYC area, you've probably seen him at a show. He prefers his venues intimate, his whiskey on the rocks, and his baseball played without the DH. Follow him at @adamsworldblog.
