SPORTS OFFER A LESSON IN LIFE

Feb. 1, 2010

Upon the beginning of a new decade and in the midst of the worst economic period since the Great Depression nearly a century ago, it is a very good time to reflect on the great treasure that sports offers.

It is a truly joyful escape from not only the worries of a trying time, but from the pressures of modern life.

For an hour, or so, men and women gather together to pursue a very pure victory; not based on background, not based on wealth, not based on personal belief – but based on just how well they perform as a group during a brief time against an opponent trying to do the exact same thing.

Sports, and especially senior softball, strip away all the modern baggage that we carry with us each day of our lives because it gives us a single, simple common goal and a very short time to play to achieve the goal.

Sports offer us the opportunity to enjoy the road to victory as much – and sometimes more – than the win itself.

In senior softball especially there is the bonus of making friends with all types of people who have journeyed from very different places to play the same game with – and against – us.

This is why sports often have been effectively used to break down barriers between countries. It reminds us that we are all part of humanity and, despite fundamental differences, we can work together to play a simple, common game. In working together, we learn the most important lesson – those differences are much easier to resolve – or live with – as we get to know each other.