Looking back on Pat Summitt's legacy and what it means to be a winner.
The former Tennessee women's basketball coach passed away at the age of 64.
For 38 years, Pat Summitt coached the University of Tennessee's women's basketball team, becoming a legend in the process.
She led the Lady Vols to eight NCAA titles and 1,098 wins during her tenure, taking home NCAA Coach of the Year honors seven times.
On the morning of June 28, 2016, she died of complications related to Alzheimer's disease.
Summitt celebrates after Tennessee's 59-46 win against Rutgers in the 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Game. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images.
Summitt's legacy isn't just that of a winning coach — she helped changed the game for collegiate women's basketball.
When Summitt took over as Tennessee's head coach ahead of the 1974-75 season, women's basketball wasn't yet recognized by the NCAA.
Until the 1981-82 season, women's basketball teams played in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). That year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), college sports' governing body, integrated a number of women's sports into their roster of activities. This fact will forever link her name to college basketball because her footprints are all over its humble beginnings.
After years of success, Summitt was approached by school officials about the possibility of coaching the men's team.
"Why is that considered a step up?" she responded, pushing back on the idea that women's sports are somehow second-tier.
Summitt stands on the side of the court during a game in her last season as Tennessee's head coach. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.
Summitt was more than just a coach. She was a mentor to her players, helping them become well-rounded adults primed for success after college.
Summitt's greatest legacy may very well be the fact that every single player she coached during her time at Tennessee graduated. With a career spanning nearly four decades and 161 players, that's especially impressive.
Summit hugs Candace Parker after Tennessee defeated Stanford during the National Championship Game of the 2008 NCAA Women's Final Four. Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images.
In August 2011, Summitt announced her retirement from coaching after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
She finished the 2011-12 season in a reduced role, but she was there nonetheless. She was named Sports Illustrated's 2011 Sportswoman of the Year, a celebration of her lengthy career achievements. The following year, she was awarded both ESPN's Arthur Ashe Courage Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
Summitt is presented with a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on May 29, 2012, at the White House. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.
"I've always said you win life with people and I have been so blessed to have great people in my life," Summitt said in 2012. The world is better for her having been in it.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."