Having been in sports journalism two decades I've noticed there are some teams - no matter how bad they may be - that have learned to rise to the occasion and knock off a much better team year in and year out.

Over the years it just seems that those players have it bored into their brains that they just can't win against that other team. They may play 10 times and come away with just one win, and that may be a fluke.

That same defeatist attitude seems to be ingrained in the minds of the athletes in Greenville.

In just one year I've been with the Advocate, I've noticed that trait when any Greenville team takes on a team from Troy.

It's like these kids have been told over and over that they just can't win against any team from Troy and they believe it.

I don't know how many times I've been told by a coach no matter if they from the high school or from a recreation league team that their team just freezes up when they face Troy.

It reminds me of the ongoing thought that the road team always wins in the Georgia-Auburn football game.

But what makes one town or team better than another?

Is it the coaching? Is it the athletes? Is it the facilities?

Frankly I don't think it's any of the three.

Greenville has seen a stretch of hard times when it comes to athletics, and it has taken a toll on the community.

And a defeatist attitude this town has when it comes to playing certain teams does not help.

Sure Fort Dale Academy has prospered in basketball and tennis, but Greenville High has not had much to hang its hat on lately.

So where can this community turn things around?

It may lie on the shoulders of those who coach the most popular sport in town - the football coaches.

It never seems to fail at any level of high school athletics. When the football team does well, the other sports thereafter also prosper.

The defeatist attitude that seems to thrive in Greenville needs to starve and fade away.

While Greenville has seen better days with two state football titles in its high school's trophy case, those titles can't carry over almost 10 years later.

The community as a whole needs an attitude adjustment. When that happens, then maybe the athletes of our town will believe once again that they are invincible.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. Call him at (334) 382-3111 ext. 122 or e-mail kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com.