A smart publisher is always on the lookout for inspiration, even in unlikely places.
Well, how about the Washington Football Team?
Yes, that unfortunate group which for too many seasons made hapless a standard, with one bitter controversy after another and with a loathed owner who is about a popular as a web break on a tight Sunday deadline in the pressroom.
Suddenly, with a new coach packing the reputation of a riverboat gambler, a veteran quarterback who is a medical miracle, a spirited defense that’s powering a four-game winning streak, and a clear commitment to clean up the organization’s sordid past, Washington is no longer the underdog to win its — albeit mediocre — division.
The WFT is in first place, with only three games to go. Merry Christmas, Washington fans.
After Sunday’s win against the tough San Fransisco 49ers, Coach Ron Rivera was asked how things have changed for his reinvigorated team.
Note the key word in his response, one that’s the goal of The Relevance Project: “We’re relevant, we’re in the conversation, people are talking about us, and we have to maintain and be humble.”
There you go. Stay relevant. Stay in first place.
If the Washington Football Team can do it, there’s more than ample long-term hope for community newspapers.
—TAS
P.S. Go back and take the Relevance Meter test again. Keep at it.
