Sports have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. As a young boy I would play baseball, football and street hockey with the kids in my neighborhood. On the occasions my team would lose there were two ways in which we lost. Sometimes the games were close and at other times we would be defeated in a lopsided fashion. Both forms of defeat included lessons for me to learn. In the lopsided defeats I had the opportunity to learn the importance of finishing what I had started. Even in a game when my team was being made an example of, there was no honor in throwing in the towel. On the occasions we lost close games the lesson may have been give it your all until the final out was made, or the final buzzer had sounded. There are enough documented cases of phenomenal comebacks through the annals of sports history to show that even when the odds seem insurmountable teams and athletes have beaten the odds and have come out on top.
Today I read a news story about a high school basketball team that felt bad about a victory of theirs and so have forfeited the game. The school outscored their opponents 100-0, and didn't really let up scoring until they had reached the 100 point threshold. The other team, which hasn't won a game in their four year history, now has a victory--of sorts.
Maybe I'm in the minority but I don't agree with the winning school in this case. If the losing team couldn't handle such a lopsided defeat then maybe they shouldn't have sent a team out onto the court. And the team that won the game did show some compassion. From what I read they didn't even attempt a shot for the final five minutes or so of the game, after they'd reached their 100 points --which I believe was a school record.
There are times in life to show compassion, and there are times to give it your all. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't believe what the one team did by going out there and playing there game was a wrong move. If we encourage athletes to only play to the level of their opponents then are we really encouraging them to growth?
About Me
- RvL
- I’m from New York but my driver’s license lists that my address is Ohio. My passport has a number of stamps in it. I’m the youngest of six, yet oldest son. I have a number after my initials, but not my name. I like music. I like coffee, beer and bourbon. I am a follower of Jesus. I watch bonus features on DVD’s. For four months each year my wife and I are the same age. “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians.” I am an ordained pastor, but don't currently have a church. I’ve eaten raw horse meat. I’m fifteen inches taller than my wife, but I look up to her. I still prefer buying CDs to downloading music. I’m a night owl, who doesn’t mind getting up early. I like to play games. I moved to another country nine days after my wedding. I sometimes quote random lyrics. I believe in miracles. I prefer desktops to laptops. I like listening to audio books. I watch Buffalo Bills and Sabres games. I have five sons. I'm living life mid sentence.
