Coach Chuck Goldstein hasn’t used a whistle in more than a decade. Instead, he communicates mostly with American Sign Language (ASL).

Why? He works at Gallaudet University. That college serves students with hearing loss. Coach Goldstein’s players can’t hear a whistle. But they can “hear” what his lightning-fast hands say.

Bison home games are unique. The national anthem is performed in ASL. There’s no public address announcer. Some fans cheer. Others applaud in ASL.

“We view ourselves as normal people who can do everything except hear,” says Shelby Bean. He used to play for the Bison. Now he’s assistant coach.

His attitude reflects Philippians 2:4: looking out for others’ welfare, not just one’s own. “We’ve kind of adapted how we coach football, how we play football,” Coach Bean says.

Most recently, the school developed a new helmet. Inside the helmet, a tiny screen above the quarterback’s right eye displays play calls. (A play call is a bit of direction for football players. It tells players where and how to move the ball.)

“With the helmet, you waste less time trying to seek information out,” offensive lineman John Scarborough says. He, too, speaks through ASL. An interpreter translates.

The Bison quarterback used the helmet in a test game. And guess what? The Bison won!

Why? New ideas can help overcome long-lived challenges and inspire others to work well.