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Everyone loves stickers. By everyone, I mean preschoolers, teachers, and, apparently, John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens. How much does Harbaugh love stickers? He has decided to reward players for effort by placing stickers above their lockers.
ESPN broke this compelling story and provided pictures of the stickers. When I first saw them, I thought, "Whoa! I'd clean the house so much better if I could get a sticker like that afterwards!" Joe Flacco is in the lead with 32 stickers, so I think it is safe to say that he will be even more elite than usual against the St. Louis Rams Sunday.
Defensive end Chris Canty essentially said the stickers are like a time machine, transporting him to happier, more carefree years. Here's what he actually said via ESPN: "It kind of feels like we're back in elementary school a little bit."
Tight end Crockett Gillmore did a better job normalizing the stickers, saying, "That's just the character of the team. If you want to be a Raven, you're going to fly around and you're going to get to the ball. This proves to everybody that not only does it show up on film, but it's going to show up on your locker." Flying around and earning stickers. It must be great to be a Raven.
The Ravens will likely need more than stickers to generate some positive momentum and salvage their season. At 2-7, the Ravens are struggling in the absence of several key players lost to injury and free agency. The offense has floundered under former Chicago Bears head coach and current Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman.
If I were the head coach of a professional team tasked with improving my team's record, I would totally give out stickers for extra motivation. As long as I'm solving big problems, like a 2-7 NFL record, I'd also suggest stickers for motivating government leaders, corporate executives, and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.