"Burn the Ships" is a reference to a motivational speech once given to the Dodgers by then-GM Ned Colletti. In Episode 704, Sam read an account in Molly Knight's book, The Best Team Money Can Buy, in which Colletti told his team about how Hernán Cortés, a 16th-century Spanish conquistador, burned his own ships to motivate his men and scare the Aztecs.
Colletti gave the team a similar speech in a later season, except this time attributing it to Alexander the Great. Team members who realized this turned it into a running joke, and had T-shirts printed up.
Since that episode, Facebook group members would post examples of the phrase being used in media and news stories, including as the title of a 2017 documentary about softball.
Even in 2025, the reference remains alive and well, with Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis attributing it to the Vikings.
"Burn the Ships" was used as the title of a chapter in The Only Rule Is It Has to Work, inspired by a text given by Russell Carleton when asked for advice.
Links[]
- Hernán Cortés - Wikipedia
- Burning the Ships - TV Tropes