PJ’s Ponderings: Nathan Rourke, like Thomas Muller, is leading his team into the playoffs. He’s another lesson in how to be a superstar.<\/p>\n
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Published Oct 18, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0day ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Everyone told me when I asked why Nathan Rourke was having such a remarkable year for the B.C. Lions, said that he had learned to dial it back.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The grin on his face when I put the premise to him this week gave a quick response.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Oh yes, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to take things, to take myself a little less seriously,\u201d he said. There\u2019s a note for all athletes with aspirations of stardom.<\/p>\n The last time he and I had spoken, it was right after he broke his leg three years ago. A lot has happened since then, like going to the NFL. It was a wild experience, chasing the ultimate dream, but after a season with Jacksonville, he bounced across three teams \u2014 New England, the New York Giants, finally Atlanta \u2014 before he was released in training camp and then re-signed with the Lions in August 2024.<\/p>\n That run was hard. He had to adjust his brain to a new style of game, and a new style of thinking: when you\u2019re fighting just to make the team, any misstep can hurt you.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIf that rep didn\u2019t go well, I might not be there next day. And I saw that,\u201d he reflected. Back in the CFL, he\u2019s a starter. He\u2019s a guy that\u2019s leaned on to win the game. There\u2019s pressure to perform but it\u2019s a different pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery play, while it is important, is not a make or break situation. I had to relearn how to love the game again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery week I\u2019m just trying to rediscover and trying to capture the love that I had when I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t figure this all out on his own. He worked with a sports psychologist. He had some great chats with his new head coach, Buck Pierce. Pierce works so hard he rarely sleeps, the QB realized. That\u2019s about intensity and focus. But Pierce\u2019s energy in directing his team also keeps things loose.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cHe comes with an attitude, like: \u2018Guys, I just did something, and I\u2019m super excited about it. I want to share it with you!\u2019 That\u2019s who he is,\u201d Rourke said. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to be around him. And he loves practice as much as I do. \u2026 It\u2019s just fun to be around him, rather than a guy who\u2019s like, super serious and on you all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Add it all up and there\u2019s a fine line, between taking the job seriously but also remembering its just a game. It\u2019s supposed to be fun, he said. To be successful fun is something you have to bring with you. It\u2019s not something you earn. And yet you also can\u2019t be too loose, so you have to have a serious focus at the same time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of chicken and egg situation. When you have fun, I think I play better. And when you\u2019re winning, you\u2019re having fun,\u201d he said. No one wants to say they\u2019re having fun while they\u2019re losing, but to turn the losing around, you\u2019d do well to find some fun anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And more than anything, he\u2019s learning to let go. Bad things are going to happen. Focus on what you can control. Calm yourself down in that effort to focus.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I remind myself of often is that people really don\u2019t care as much as I think they do,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so I think that that\u2019s an important thing. It might not be as big of a deal as I think and that just kind of grounds me.\u201d<\/p>\n Seriously what\u2019s with the Canucks\u2019 starts?<\/p>\n Struggles with how they start is a refrain we\u2019ve heard a lot about the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> in recent seasons, no matter who the coach is. It\u2019s a truly baffling one.<\/p>\n The Canucks can\u2019t keep falling behind; trying to fight your way back after a bad first period is going to wear you out. And the last week has seen the Canucks riding heavily on their goalies plus getting some scoring luck. That\u2019s not a combination to lean on.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n No doubt Adam Foote and his staff are trying to sort out how to get the team moving right off the hop.<\/p>\n Are you an Ms fan?<\/p>\n One of the many bad things about allowing our media to be owned by just a couple of companies and then to have teams owned by those conglomerates is the decline of consumer choice.<\/p>\n There are thousands of Mariners fans in B.C. There are long-standing regional reasons for that. So I felt for them this week as they had baseball\u2019s version of North Korean state TV jammed down their throats.<\/p>\n If the Mariners were playing any other team in the ALCS, Mariners fans would have some fun analysis to take in the moment for Eugenio Suarez\u2019s grand slam on Friday night. Instead they had to deal with muted coverage from a purported national broadcaster.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Jays fans are incredibly well served by Rogers but the fact Rogers doesn\u2019t let you change feeds, despite that being an option in every other situation, isn\u2019t exactly how baseball in general should be serving its fans.<\/p>\n And finally \u2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s wild to close this column with the greatest baseball player of all time, but you\u2019ve read and talked about Shohei Ohtani enough already, so I\u2019ll keep it simple. I really appreciate how the Washington Post\u2019s Chelsea Janes put it. It\u2019s along the lines of this: This is a guy whose comparables aren\u2019t just the best in baseball, but the best in everything<\/a>, and not just sports. Yes, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. But also Beethoven. Shakespeare. He\u2019s the greatest ballplayer ever and he\u2019s just had the greatest game ever \u2014 and he\u2019s in the company of the greatest humans to have ever lived. Period.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n B.C. Lions 37, Edmonton Elks 24: Robert Carter interception, TD run key in surging win<\/p>\n![\"bc](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fbo-cfl-elks-lions-20251017_299363114-1.jpg\")
B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke passes during the first half of a CFL football game against the Edmonton Elks Friday. Photo by DARRYL DYCK \/THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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