Before every important NFL football game, each TV channel has a collection of commentators, many of them previous football greats, who speak glowingly about the great players from each team. (In this upcoming game on CBS, they have been talking about Ray Lewis and Tom Brady.) And they always talk about these players in terms like: "You can't beat a guy like that", or "You won't have a chance going up against him", etc.
Well, of course we won't be able to beat them if these commentators keep undermining our self-confidence like that! I mean, can't they be encouraging, just for once? Why not say: "This player is one of the greatest in NFL history: He is very tough to beat. But maybe today's the day that someone can beat him. I guess we'll see if you guys want it badly enough. Because, you know, I never cease to be amazed by the possibilities of the human spirit, and what optimistic, positive thinking can accomplish! So I guess we'll see."
But they never do say stuff like that, because they want us all to think we can't beat them.
