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10 Inspirational Locker Room Speeches That Will Remind You It's More Than Just A Game

by Julian Sonny

When it comes down to it, a sport is much more than just a game. You're playing for your team. You're playing for your brothers, your sisters and anyone who ever believed in you.

But when you're getting your ass whooped, sometimes it's hard to keep the faith. However as we all know, it's how you react to adversity and bounce back that measures the greatness of an individual.

The true leaders are guys who motivate those around them. And, sometimes, this needs to be vocalized just like we've seen in countless locker room speeches.

Once you master this, it can be applied to anything in life as the recipe for success is pretty much universal -- hard work and not being afraid to fail! These are 10 Inspirational Locker Room Speeches That Will Remind You It's More Than Just A Game.

Jameis Winston Fires Up Florida State

Even as a freshman for no. 1 Florida State, Jameis Winston proved his value as a leader with this brief, but epic halftime speech. Down to Clemson heading into the third, Famous Jameis reminded his brothers that they should smile. There was just no way he was letting them leave Death Valley without a win. The fact that he went on to lead his team to the victory only solidifies his status as this year's Heisman winner.

Ray Lewis Hypes Up The Stanford Men's Basketball Team

Before a 2010 NIT Tournament at Madison Square Garden, Ray Lewis surprised the Stanford basketball team by delivering them a rousing speech before tipoff. That extra motivation was all they needed as they went on to win the championship game over Minnesota.

West Virginia Coach Bill Stewart Inspires His Troops

Former West Virginia Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart died suddenly from a heart attack in May 2012 at the age of 59, but he left his mark with his team when it counted. Before a match up between Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, he left no doubt what the team needed to do as the Mountaineers went on to best the Sooners to win the game. His ability to motivate the team was his biggest strength as a coach and this moment proved it. This man was a true legend.

Ed Reed At The University of Miami

Before he was patrolling NFL secondaries, Ed Reed was a legend at the college level for the Miami Hurricanes. Hurting at the half, he didn't have much else to say to his team than to try harder. Playing while injured, Ed Reed is probably the last of a dying breed of safeties who put it all out on the line. If you need any more convincing that he was born to do this, then watch this.

Les Miles Plays For Victory

Les Miles has one motive every time he takes his team out onto the field: play for victory. Dominate the opponent, play together and beat their ass. This recipe for success has been pretty solid for him as one of the top teams in the SEC as he has the power to make his team rise up to any occasion.

Chuck Pagano After Beating Cancer

After his year-long (successful) battle with cancer, Colts head coach visited the team in the locker room to thank them for their support and help when his family needed it most. Then rookie quarterback Andrew Luck had a lot to do with the team's success, but it was all 53 guys on the roster who made their 2012 season a success and building block for the team's future. His illness surely made everyone realize that they were playing for more than just themselves, but for everyone around them.

LeBron James Fires Up The Heat In The Playoffs

I'll admit, this isn't the most motivational pre-game speech of all time, but these are the words and advice of one of the best ever to play the game. LeBron James has the mental aspect of the game down as he stays focused through some of the biggest distractions to continue to perfect his game and to make others around him better. Plus he has the heart of a champion!

Tim Tebow Proves His Greatness

When it's all said and done, and we can take a step back to look at things, Tim Tebow will probably go down as the greatest college football player of all time. His time at Florida was something truly special as he literally did everything for his team on the field. But it was what we didn't see that truly separated him. His leadership was unsurpassed as he was just one of those guys who plays with his emotion and instincts, which, in most cases, got his team the win. What a shame he doesn't play in the NFL today.

Ray Lewis Gets Deep (Pause)

Ray Lewis is a master of pre-game, halftime and post-game speeches. And while former teammate Joe Flacco said some of the things he said didn't even make sense, what does he know? Defensive players always have to get jacked up for their team and Ray Lewis was the greatest at it. He dug deep into his teammate's souls to bring the best out of them and that got him a Super Bowl ring during his last year in the league.

Louisiana Coach Mark Hudspeth Goes HAM

Raging Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth had his team playing one of the biggest games in school history back in 2011 when they faced off against San Diego State at the SuperDome. If he weren't being so damn motivational, he could've caught a charge for grabbing and pushing his players like that. But it was all to amp them up as they got the win.

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