Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching, is a documentary that offers an exclusive look at their annual coaching retreat, where Bill Belichick and Nick Saban have an in-depth conversation about their interwoven history and coaching philosophies.

As they converse about changes in coaching over the span of 5 decades, they land on the topic of social media. Belichick is not a fan of social media. He once told reporters that he was not even on “SnapFace.” Belichick and Saban have this exchange:

Belichick: I hate social media. We get rid of it whenever we can. Do things where you don’t bring your phone, you just have a conversation with the other person in the eye instead of texting back and forth. But it’s the way of the world . . . It still comes back to fundamental relationships and communication and there’s no cell phones on the field. You better know what your teammate’s doing, he better know what you’re doing or, you know, you’re going to get beat.

Saban: And I think because of social media, they're getting a lot of their positive self-gratification … without looking somebody in the eye, without developing a relationship with them. And I think that’s a critical part that they all need to develop and you need it to have a team.

Belichick: No question. Who cares how many likes you get from 2000 people you don’t even know? There are 53 guys in the locker room. Those are the 53 that matter.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Many people are trying to get your attention. You and I must be able to identify the 53 that matter. The dozen that matter? The four that matter? The One who really matters?

Source:

Belichick and Saban, “The Art of Coaching,” HBO special (2019)