The Thrill of Victory… The Agony of Defeat….
I wouldn’t write this blog entry during basketball season, I don’t really care about basketball. I wouldn’t write this entry during baseball season, I wouldn’t watch the World Series if I could see it off my back deck!! Football is different story, this is my season, this is the time of year, sports wise, I live for!!! This year a couple of things have started to spoil it for me and it has me thinking about the whole sports thing.
Let me start with a quick story. A number of years ago, when I was a died in the wool UK basketball fan, and bled Blue, the Cats were in the National Championship game and had it won!! In the last couple of seconds Duke’s Christitan Laettner hit a long 3 pointer to steal the victory. I calmly got up and walked through the kitchen and picked up a empty 5 Gallon water container from our water dispenser, went out to the drive way and smashed it into the concrete over and over until it shatter into a thousand pieces. When I returned to the house Sherelene said, in a sarcastic tone, “I hope you feel better! ” I shot something back about leaving me alone, when she asked me a life altering question! She said, “who won the National Championship three years ago?”, I said, “I don’t know, what’s your point!!”, and not too kindly! She said, “I was just wondering why it meant so much if you don’t know who won it only three years ago.”
She was right, what difference does it really make? Under a lot of conviction, I made a commitment to not get invested with any team to the degree that their loosing would ruin my day, or steal my witness. I couldn’t really imagine Jesus smashing a water jug in my driveway if His team lost!! I love to see a good game and I may be for one team, but I rarely get upset regardless of the outcome. Sports should be something we enjoy and learn from, not something that wrecks our day.
I still struggle every fall when my alma mater, (UK), stumbles around the field looking like it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a football, but I’ve even gotten use to that, and just switch to another game and enjoy that one! I now enjoy following several teams.
I said two things have bothered me this year. One is the number of un-sportsman like late hits and deliberate attempts to hurt another player. For me football is rough, and I like it that way, but that kind of thing has no place in the game. The second is the conduct of some NFL players during the National Anthem. What is even worse is the League’s not addressing it. I think at a minimum, those players that choose not to stand for the National Anthem should be asked to kneel in the dressing room and then come out to play and collect their millions of dollars!!! The whole thing make me sick and to be honest I am less interested in the NFL season than usual, just because of that! I think all lives matter and we have a lot of problems in America to solve, but turning your back on the nation, it’s anthem and those that serve us, is not part of the solution!
I played high school football and my coach taught us how to win like a gentleman, and how to loose like a gentlemen, and take away valuable life lessons. He taught us to appreciate at the efforts of our opponent, and how to be able to genuinely shake their hand at the end of the game, win or loose. I wish we could go back to that simple time, when we considered other above ourselves.
Blessings,
the pilgrim
P.S. …..and just for the record I am not one of those calling for Coach Stoops to loose his job, I actually like the guy, and feel bad for him. Sadly I’ m afraid that even a risen Bear Bryant couldn’t bring football glory back to Kentucky! The SEC is just too competitive and there’s just not enough superior talent to go around. Our kids play hard, but they are in an up hill battle against the other programs in the SEC that get a larger percentage of the top talent. As evidenced in this early season lots of so called lesser schools have great programs and compete head to head with the big boys! Take a deep breath and enjoy it for what is is, a game!!!!!!!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 14th, 2016 at 1:45 am
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You words have somewhat struck a nerve tonight. I agree that too many professionals and collegiate athletes do not conduct themselves appropriately. The nerve you struck reminded me of all the good things is seen at the high school level in football and in the marching band competitions. For the latter I have seen bands loan stuff to other bands at competitions knowing that that I seen loaned item(s) would improved the competitors score in the competition. I’ve see bands cheer for their competitors. Perhaps it is the love of the game or of performing a show that leads these high schoolers to be more responsible and caring than those you mentioned. Maybe it is the lack of pressure to perform or be cut from the team. Maybe it is a sense of responsibility to others and for others that help the kids choose the a better path. I don’t know what it is. I do know that seeing these kids do these things is inspiring and is encouraging. Seeing these things reminds me how blessed I am.
My typing and grammer is horrible tonight. What I wrote should ahve come out as:
Your words have somewhat struck a nerve tonight. I agree that too many professionals and collegiate athletes do not conduct themselves appropriately. The nerve you struck reminded me of all the good things is seen at the high school level in football and in the marching band competitions. For the latter I have seen bands loan stuff to other bands at competitions knowing that that the loaned item(s) would improved the competitors score in the competition. I’ve see bands cheer for their competitors. Perhaps it is the love of the game or of performing a show that leads these high schoolers to be more responsible and caring than those you mentioned. Maybe it is the lack of pressure to perform or be cut from the team. Maybe it is a sense of responsibility to others and for others that help the kids choose the a better path. I don’t know what it is. I do know that seeing these kids do these things is inspiring and is encouraging. Seeing these things reminds me how blessed I am.
It’s always great to see people look out for others, especially when they are competing, but still do it!
Some very interesting observations, my friend.
Doesn’t it just make you feel worse when you’re mad and your wife says something that doesn’t exactly make you feel better at the moment but you know she’s right?
Sometimes we do forget how insignificant some things are in the grand scheme of things — or how some other things may be more important than winning. I met John Elway (nice guy) in Boulder. When he found out I’m from Wisconsin he said “Sorry about that game” (referring to the Broncos beating the Packers in the Super Bowl) and I shot back,”What are you sorry about? You deserved to win. Wisconsin sports fans like winning, yes, and we like to party but we also insist on credible play. We don’t go blaming the officials or the other team for our mistakes. You guys played a much better game and deserved it.”
As for the crybabies trying to make their point…they tend to forget that the First Amendment isn’t absolute. If you’re wearing your employer’s uniform and on the job it’s a bit different than when you are off the clock at home. On top of that, some forget that freedom of expression cuts both ways. You are not insulated from the consequences of your statement — and others have the freedom to express their outrage, if they choose, at you and your position. Then there’s credibility. A bit difficult to stomach a multimillionaire claiming to speak for the downtrodden when they don’t put their money where their mouth is. Michael Jordan, for example, donated $2 million recently — $1 million each to the NAACP legal defense fund and to police organizations. Nobody flamed him.
I didn’t go to school at Kentucky. I went to “Berkeley East” — University of Wisconsin-Madison — where daily protests against something or another are something of an art form. When people would ask me how I could stand the crazy crap I’d sigh and say that while I try to tune out the loonies it does remind me that the First Amendment and our Constitution are alive and well.
…and I’m glad they are, putting up with some loonies is small price for freedom and liberty!