Winners

decisive pressure-seeking bold

Bartlet draws on winners during Oval Office clash over Navy discipline, invoking 'Winners want the ball' to champion bold plays under pressure. This sports archetype models clutch leadership, mirroring Bartlet's push against hesitation in high-stakes calls like intervening in service scandals. The reference cuts through legalism, rallying Leo and staff toward action over equivocation.

2 appearances

Winners's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

2 moments

S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Winners Want the Ball: Bartlet on Discipline and Double Standards

N/A (referential).

The 'Winners' archetype is invoked via Bartlet's anecdote about the coach, providing the moral frame (leaders must take the ball) that justifies presidential intervention.

View full event

S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Parking‑Ticket Diplomacy: Bartlet Breaks the Tension

N/A — rhetorical device encouraging action.

Invoked rhetorically by Bartlet ('Winners want the ball') to push for boldness; functions as a shorthand for taking initiative.

View full event