After a highly disappointing loss, many people were intrigued to see how Nick Saban and his players would handle themselves in regards to the press and post-game interviews. However, there was no need for predictions regarding these situations because both Saban himself and his players have set clear standards for how they will present themselves to the masses, win or lose.
It is a common idea that sports, specifically coaching, can truly shape the character of young adults due to the malleability of their minds and abilities in their developing years. The way a coach leads their players to handle great adversity, and even more importantly, great successes, defines the true value of a team. Many of the great coaches such as Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Dabo Swinney have been out in the spotlight for not only their athletic success but the success they have in building great character within their athletes. Making it known that winning and losing only scrapes the surface of what these coaches have to offer to athletes is something that sets apart the good from the great.
Nick Saban is known throughout the football world as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, coaches of all time. His dominating record shows his obvious football knowledge and ability to execute in times of pressure. He is known for his stern coaching ways, ones that often end in broken headsets and many days of a hoarse voice. Near the end of the 2018-19 season, the SEC Championship was full of exciting Saban outbursts, including the fan-favorite broken headset scene. Although the TIde came out on top in this game, there were many points of frustrations for Saban during this game, and he was not afraid to express his feelings. However, during the end celebration, Saban had a moment with star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that presented the true values of the program that Saban runs at the University of Alabama.
After Tua received the Offensive MVP award after the great Orange Bowl win, he accepted his award gracefully from the presenter and began to walk away as any normal young man would. However, if you pay close attention to that very moment, you would see Nick Saban stop Tagavailoa from walking away, and say something in his ear. Immediately after this encounter, Tua reverses his path and proceeds to shake hands with the President of the Orange Bowl Committee. This was such a small moment, but the emphasis on the respect that Saban places within his program was more than evident here and shows that Saban is shaping great humans, not just great athletes.
Postgame interviews of Saban and his players after the extremely disappointing loss in the 2019 National Championship continued to present the great values that this program has in place. Both the coach and the players handled themselves with grace, letting their disappointments be known, but not letting it affect their character.
