After reporting the news this morning about the state football championship won by South Bend's high school, I've spent a lot of time thinking about it...but not in the way one might think. While it certainly is a great achievement for our student athletes, anytime there are winners, there are also losers. And so, rather than reveling in the big win, I've been thinking a lot about the student athletes from Colfax High School.
Last year Colfax beat South Bend in the playoffs and, eventually, made their way to the championship game. Just like this year, they entered the final game of the season with an unblemished record. And, just like this year, they lost. That means for two consecutive years they did not achieve their goal and would up being the runner up.
In our competitive dog-eat-dog world, I'm guessing that this is a hard pill to swallow. It's hard not just for the players and coaches of the team, but very hard on the townspeople of Colfax (a small county seat not that much unlike South Bend). As mentioned in a previous post, small towns often adopt their local school as a big part of the community's identity and so the citizens of Colfax must be feeling a big letdown.
I have always liked sports -- particularly amateur sports -- but they don't play as big of a role in my life as they used to. One reason for this is due to the nature of competition. The winner-loser dynamic often rubs me the wrong way. Instead of trying to lift all boats at once, for one team or individual to be up, another has to be pushed down. In order for one team or athlete to be on the top rung, one or more teams or athletes must be at the bottom.
If we all derive from the same source and all life shares the same essence, why do we compete with one another? At the end of the day, we each wind up in the same place and, in that place, it doesn't matter if you have earned a blue ribbon or a spiffy trophy.
Last year Colfax beat South Bend in the playoffs and, eventually, made their way to the championship game. Just like this year, they entered the final game of the season with an unblemished record. And, just like this year, they lost. That means for two consecutive years they did not achieve their goal and would up being the runner up.
In our competitive dog-eat-dog world, I'm guessing that this is a hard pill to swallow. It's hard not just for the players and coaches of the team, but very hard on the townspeople of Colfax (a small county seat not that much unlike South Bend). As mentioned in a previous post, small towns often adopt their local school as a big part of the community's identity and so the citizens of Colfax must be feeling a big letdown.
I have always liked sports -- particularly amateur sports -- but they don't play as big of a role in my life as they used to. One reason for this is due to the nature of competition. The winner-loser dynamic often rubs me the wrong way. Instead of trying to lift all boats at once, for one team or individual to be up, another has to be pushed down. In order for one team or athlete to be on the top rung, one or more teams or athletes must be at the bottom.
If we all derive from the same source and all life shares the same essence, why do we compete with one another? At the end of the day, we each wind up in the same place and, in that place, it doesn't matter if you have earned a blue ribbon or a spiffy trophy.
re: cheering for sports teams, seinfeld's humorous take:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WSD6Y2YWj4
--sgl
Thanks. That sure made me laugh!!
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