ESPN is the go to sports channels in the United States. Not because the television hosts are particularly entertaining or intelligent; they are able to give me hours of information in minutes. I find it important to keep up with the big storylines going on in other sports, and ESPN manages to summarize it in a short television episode. I learned one lesson from “SportsCenter” this week, a message that I can easily identify with. It is possible to be pissed off and strategic at the same time.

Every person makes mistakes, but some mistakes are worse than others. Roger Goodell made a very bad mistake.

If you haven’t paid attention to the sports world for the last few years, I’ll give you a brief refresher. The New England Patriots were under a lot of scrutiny for possibly deflating footballs during their playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. The investigation and arbitration that the NFL led went quite poorly. Breaches of protocol occurred left and right, and in the end, Goodell made a harsh ruling with little evidence.

The New England Patriots are wildly unpopular and hated by most football fans. Despite that, sports writers across the nation almost unanimously agree that Goodell sentenced the team far too harshly. After judicial bureaucracy dragged this case out, the penalty was finally applied to the team this season. Tom Brady, the star of the Patriots and the NFL, was suspended from competing for the first four games of the season. The team also lost their first round draft pick.

Goodell’s ruling was objectively an error. His goal was to symbolically punish the team for years of potential misconduct. Furthermore, the coach, Bill Belicheck, doesn’t cooperate with the media, giving the same answer to most press conference questions. The team is simply rebellious, and Goodell saw ‘deflategate’ as an opportunity to punish them. This action made Goodell come off as a foolish commissioner, and he lit a fire under the asses of the team he despises.

Now, the Patriots have fought their way to the Super Bowl.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are motivated to win the championship and laugh in Roger Goodell's stupid face. They know that the NFL, particularly commissioner Goodell, acted against justice. They were unfairly treated, and they are pissed off about it. That fire has energized and excited the team. The idea that they will win the biggest event in the sport and Roger Goodell has to hand them the trophy, has brought them to another Super Bowl. They want to see the look on the commissioner’s face on Sunday night, and they will know that their efforts have been validated.

Although layers of emotion and tension tie into their motivation, they still have a strategic game plan. In fact, they specialize and tailor their strategies to every team they encounter. The most appropriate description of their team, and my personal favorite, was said on the Tony Kornheiser Show earlier this week, a show I appeared on before my initial championship win. One of the guests referred to the Patriots as a team of “shapeshifters”. They change and adapt and mold themselves to match up better against their opposition.

You see, the New England Patriots are pissed off. But that simple statement doesn’t tell the whole story. That undermines their talent when it comes to scheming and planning. This is a common error, and it is easy to make that simple misconception. Being smart and being pissed off are not mutually exclusive. A lesson that my upcoming opponent will need to learn before our encounter.

A basic analysis of my position in XWF easily reveals my anger. I’m a former champion that lost my gold, and then I failed in one of my biggest opportunities, a triple threat that included the Universal Champion. Then, I finally earned a shot to challenge for the Television Championship, but I was attacked from behind. This cheap shot delayed my chance to redeem myself. Then, I couldn’t convince XWF management to give me the match that I truly desired, a one on one bout with Michael McBride.

Many events over the last month would leave any regular person with the belief that I’m fucking pissed. Those people wouldn’t be wrong. The fallacious logic begins once you think that all I am is an angry man, nothing more or less. That belief is short sighted, yet people don't delve deep enough to realize the simple truth.

There are two kinds of anger. One type is destructive anger. This includes the people that get set off easily and they beat the shit out of their wife, so they spend years in prison. These are the people that quit their job in a fit of rage. These are the people that refuse to evolve when they are given criticism. To a lesser extent, there are people that are pissed off and they fume. They sit around and do nothing, except be mad. They get nothing done, and they stew in their range until the feelings pass. These people deal with anger in a detrimental fashion.

Then there is a productive way to utilize rage and fury. The kind that understands there is a means to an end. The Patriots fall into this category. Tom Brady doesn’t sit in a chair and think about how much he hates Roger Goodell. He spends an extra hour in Belichick’s office drawing up plays that exploit the secondary of their opponents. They spend their time neutralizing their opponent’s strengths and exposing their flaws. They understand that getting revenge means winning the super bowl, so they spent the last five months putting in more effort than any other NFL team, just so they could get their redemption. And that effort has given them the potential to add another super bowl trophy to their illustrious franchise.

All of my anger is productive. I won’t get my vengeance until I get in the ring with McBride and beat the tar out of him. That doesn’t mean I have to waste my energy until McBride gives me the time of day. I can train and prepare, not sit and mope. And I can use my fury to push myself. It even makes menial parts of my day exciting because this rage gives me a stronger purpose. My morning jogs aren’t just to stay in shape. It is to be in better shape than McBride, so I can beat the shit out of him when my time comes.

This productive rage doesn’t just help me in the long run, it helps in the short run. On Saturday, I match up with Jim Caedus. He is unfortunate enough to meet me in the ring at a time where my effort is excessive. I’m at my peak of motivation. I’ve been working out harder and spending more time looking at tapes, and he happens to be the man that falls between now and my inevitable brawl with McBride.

Caedus is a victim of bad timing. He walks into my path at a time where I have more passion and heart than any moment in my XWF career. He also may be a victim of another circumstance. He may be one of the many people that assume all anger is destructive. He could make a basic error, he could think that I’m suffering from a distraction. In reality, I’m harnessing my strong emotions, and it will elevate me to some of the best performances of my career.

I’m not an invalid or an unproven athlete. I’ve shown time and time again that I can fight through tough opponents and change the tides of matches in only a few seconds. The talent I’ve shown will not be inhibited by my situation; it will be enhanced. I’m ready to clash with Caedus and I’m excited to come face to face with the man that once defeated me. Now, I have a different energy, and that is the edge I have. That’s the bit of extra confidence I need. I’m not anxious for my title chance, but I’m also not cocky. I’m just excited to see my effort pay off.

Caedus and his championship aren’t the ultimate end. My eyes are still on McBride, but winning the gold for a second time is nothing to scoff at. It’s an achievement that I’d love to have next to my name. Being able to hold the XWF Television Championship over my shoulder would fill me with pride, and I won’t overlook the chance to make that happen again.

You could even call my training regimen as obsessive. I've spent more time in the gym or studying footage then I ever have in the past. In between my time meeting with old friends and developing important plans to liberate my people, I've compulsively found myself scheming for this title match. It's like I'm a college kid perpetually buzzed on Adderall. I'm constantly studying, but it isn't for a midterm. I'm across the ring from a challenge, but I won't let this road block stop me.

Anger and hate don’t always ruin a strong competitor. They can enhance my skills and talents, and I’m going to reiterate that fact on Saturday. Just like the New England Patriots, passion and hate will lead me to gold.