The Ben Johnson Effect

[Pixote]

There is a fun article on The NYTimes/Athletic about the origin of the chant BJ uses in his post-game locker room sessions.

Some articles on the site are subscriber-only (a cheap subscription for great articles, IMO). Here is a small clip:

Quote

For 12 years, acclaimed country singer Chase Rice and his band have done the same chant 45 minutes before their set. It’s something he learned from his high school football team, A.C. Reynolds, in Asheville, N.C.

Good, better, best
Never let it rest
Till your good gets better
And your better gets best

“It’s a core memory for me,” Rice said. “That was our mindset, man, and it was fun.”

Before Rice’s show in Chicago this past June, the band did the chant. Rice noticed one guest on the tour bus, his former teammate Ben Johnson, smiling.

(BJ and Chase Rice were teammates on the A.C. Reynolds High School football team.)