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Let me make a bold statement: I am not a sports fan. I have
several objections to professional sports. Ideally, American
athletes have served as heroes and role models for the male
population. Now some are celebrities making huge salaries
which far exceed their contribution to society. Some athletes
seem to make a lot of playing errors, and some fans seem
either to make excuses for their stars or to find
self-satisfaction as armchair critics. No one demands their
money back for a game poorly played. What bothers me most
about professional sports is the antisocial and
attention-seeking behaviors displayed by some athletes.
I never dreamed
that I would be writing an essay about sports. That shows
how much September 11th has changed my outlook on life. This
year's World Series has brought together two teams that
represent two facets of American enterprise. The New York
Yankees come from an established background of revered
baseball tradition. The Arizona Diamondbacks are a young
startup club trying to find a place among the winners. Their
coming together in competition created a tense drama for fans
and for a nation needing stabilization. Fans cheered for
their favorite team, but for the nation it was a win-win
situation.
Our political
leaders advise us to return to normalcy. The fact that this
Series went on as scheduled and without any apparent terrorist
attack is a tribute to America's democratic tenacity and love
of freedom. I'm glad those sports fans braved the potential
risks and attended the games. I'm glad those athletes still
had the heart and courage to play. I'm glad that I'm still
free to express my dislike of today's professional sports.
Sports as a
concept has lost much of its meaning. For this reason, some
people have lately taken notice of women's basketball.
Whether at the college or professional level, these women
athletes play with a true sense of sportsmanship, fair play,
personal honor, and a love of the game itself. They have
gained the respect of both female and male fans, and provide
a new kind of role-modeling for young girls. These women have
been able to provide leadership without the self-importance
that permeates men's sports.
This year's
World Series seemed to restore a similar quality of
sportsmanship to baseball. Everyone seemed to agree that Game
Seven needed a hero. There were a few men on both
teams who were able to meet the challenge. Men who, not
unlike the firefighters and police officers in New York City,
gave it all they had. How can anyone really claim that one
team was better than the other under such close circumstances?
One team won, but both played with moments of excellence.
This is really
what sports is about: to play with honor, win or lose. Yes,
it is a great feeling to win, to be on top of the world, to go
down in history. I would rather win than lose. But as we are
taught as children, it is how you play that really matters.
Each team member of the Diamondbacks and the Yankees will have
to live with how he played. There are life's lessons to be
learned on the playing field.
In our nation's
return to normalcy, I hope we return to an earlier value
system which included true heroes. Sometimes we need to look
up to heroes as much as we need equality and the pursuit of
happiness. (Written 11/05/01 - Revised 12/01/03)
[ADDED NOTE: In
paragraph 5, I wrote, "Men who, not unlike the
firefighters and police officers in New York City, gave it all
they had." Upon retrospective review, I realize this
sentence could have been written more clearly. At the time,
only a couple of months after the 9/11 attack, there was
concern that the World Series might be used as an opportunity
for another terrorist attack. My intention was to validate
the courage and commitment of the American people to continue
living a normal life and not to feel intimidated or crippled
by terrorism. I certainly do not place baseball players
(although, ultimately, they were at some risk of attack and
loss of life) in the same category of hero as police officers
and firefighters who daily risk their lives for our safety.]
(Written 05/17/10)
Until we meet
again....... .......stay sane.
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