Sacrifices cannot be made properly until priorities are created. The coach and players must have clearly agreed upon priorities. Sacrifices must start from prioritizing. Ex- ample: God first, family second, team third.

When choosing to make sacrifices to get better, the play- er must prioritize his time accordingly. If priorities change and are not consistent, then the results will be compromised, especially under pressure situations. It is a part of knowing who you are as a player. Your identity and character are tested in battle. If you have a foundation of prioritizing your life, then you create identity. This type of identity does not easily give in to pressure or fear situations. Sacrifice builds character! And sacrifice pays off every time when priorities are in place.

Jesus Christ is our greatest example. He sacrificed Him- self for us. Christ became the biggest winner of all time! It is by modeling His example that champions and heroes are made.

When a coach can create this mind-set of sacrifice with his players, all will become champions for all the right rea- sons. They will set a great example for the players and teams to follow.

I made the case that if truth, choices, sacrifice, discipline, and love are the foundation that the Bible gives us, then we should be using sports to teach the same things to young athletes. The results are the same!

Sacrifice is the most important part of the foundation. All ten of the results listed later in the chapter can be created in the team atmosphere when the proper sacrifices are made for success.