leave it all on the field

leave it all on the field

1. (idiomatic, usually sports) Used to remind players not to dwell on minor mistakes, issues or conflicts that happened during the course of play.

   Don't worry about it, just leave it all on the field.

   • 1996, Lucile Wilson, Blanche Woolls, chapter 5, in People Skills for Library Managers: A Common Sense Guide for Beginners‎, →ISBN, page 56:

     Use the same advice football coaches give their teams: "Always do your best. When you return to the locker room at the end of the game, leave it all on the field. Don't replay what you might have done or what someone else might have done..."

2. (idiomatic, often sports) Used to encourage players or anyone to give their best effort, without going away with unused energy.

   Go and give it your all! Leave it all on the field!

   • 2012, Barack Obama, “Administration of Barack Obama, 2012/Sep. 18”, in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Barack Obama: 2012 (Book II: July 1 to December 31, 2012)‎, page 1395:

     But the stakes couldn't be higher, so we've got to leave it all on the field.