Self-help book has more teams riding ‘Energy Bus’

FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2014, file photo, Georgia head coach Mark Richt calls out from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson in Athens, Ga. Georgia's Richt, Tennessee's Butch Jones, Washington's Chris Petersen and Clemson's Dabo Swinney are among the coaches who have adopted "The Energy Bus," a book that extols the power of positive thinking and warns to stay away from "energy vampires." (AP Photo/David Goldman, File) FILE - In this Aug. 30, 2014, file photo, Georgia head coach Mark Richt calls out from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson in Athens, Ga. Georgia's Richt, Tennessee's Butch Jones, Washington's Chris Petersen and Clemson's Dabo Swinney are among the coaches who have adopted "The Energy Bus," a book that extols the power of positive thinking and warns to stay away from "energy vampires." (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

By Associated Press September 16, 2014 5 min read

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – On some practice fields across the country, one of the worst things a football player can be called sounds like something out of a young-adult novel or a television show on The CW.

Pity the guy who’s labeled an “energy vampire.”

The reference actually comes from “The Energy Bus: Ten Rules To Fuel Your Life, Work And Team With Positive Energy,” a self-help book more and more teams are studying along with their playbooks. The book offers lessons on staying positive and avoiding “energy vampires” who will “suck the life out of you and your goals and vision if you let them.”

“You don’t want the negativity,” Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins said. “That’s one thing that no team needs or no one needs in their life. I think if you read the book, it will help you out.”

Plenty of coaches agree.