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In my Jan 27 entry, I talked about Sports as metaphor for life, and explained part of the reason I care about sports, follow games and pay attention to the myriad sports analysis on TV.
And so, I'll borrow some comments from Jay Bilas in his ESPN article, Warriors on the Court.
Bilas goes on to comment on a series of exemplary players: Travis Diener, Hassan Adams, Chuck Hayes, and others. The details of his article won't matter much if you don't follow college basketball. In a certain sense, it's not really about the game, so much it is about how one should play the game. It's a lesson about life. And it's applicable to more than just basketball.
To a larger point, I think it reveals why athletes are so often viewed as heroes and role-models.
It's not just the flash of sports. It's the accessibility. It's sometimes hard to explain virtues of discipline, of unselfishness, or perserverance. And for many of us, youth athletics is one of the first training grounds for a lot of the virtues we'll be asked to put into play when we enter the professional world. Certainly, there's as much "unfairness" in sports as there is in real life. But Sports provides clearer and easier examples of those virtues and the rewards of those virtues, first in the form of team success, and later in the form of other personal benefits which follow from that success.
And so, I'll borrow some comments from Jay Bilas in his ESPN article, Warriors on the Court.
Clearly, in today's troubled times, referring to a game or its players with metaphors for war is very sensitive. The courage one shows on the field of play pales in direct comparison to the sacrifice and valor of our servicemen and women on the field of battle. Relative to sport, however, the term still has a special meaning, and compliments the mentality the player brings to the game.
A warrior is wholly committed, and brings total and complete effort to every practice, every game, and every play. Warriors play hurt, play hard, and leave their hearts on the floor. Warriors lead, and do so with their actions far more than with their words. A coach never has to worry about a player with a warrior's mentality, because that player is always going to bring everything he has, and raise the level of every player around them.
To refer to a player as a warrior is to bestow respect and honor, and the player with a warrior mentality is a credit to the game.
Bilas goes on to comment on a series of exemplary players: Travis Diener, Hassan Adams, Chuck Hayes, and others. The details of his article won't matter much if you don't follow college basketball. In a certain sense, it's not really about the game, so much it is about how one should play the game. It's a lesson about life. And it's applicable to more than just basketball.
To a larger point, I think it reveals why athletes are so often viewed as heroes and role-models.
It's not just the flash of sports. It's the accessibility. It's sometimes hard to explain virtues of discipline, of unselfishness, or perserverance. And for many of us, youth athletics is one of the first training grounds for a lot of the virtues we'll be asked to put into play when we enter the professional world. Certainly, there's as much "unfairness" in sports as there is in real life. But Sports provides clearer and easier examples of those virtues and the rewards of those virtues, first in the form of team success, and later in the form of other personal benefits which follow from that success.
Re: the warrior thing
Re: the warrior thing
Admit it.
*G*
Re: the warrior thing
You mean, it's really about sex?