Humble athletes respect officials by not protesting calls, says C.J. Mahaney in his book Don’t Waste Your Sports. (Wikimedia Commons photo)
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are all familiar with this line taught to us by Jesus. We are meant to bring the love of God here in our earthly lives. By our words and actions in every part of our life we must give those around us a glimpse of heaven.
This of course includes sports. “The values of the kingdom are not to be separated from the world of sports” wrote Father Vincent Travers. “There is no place for violence, racism or verbal abuse in the locker room or on the playing fields.”
As I see it any victory accomplished without integrity and virtue is no victory at all. So, what are a couple of important virtues that will help us bring the kingdom to the court and who are some athletes who are demonstrating these?
Humility is a virtue that is No. 1 on my list yet very infrequently demonstrated in professional sports today. In fact, self-promotion and self centred individualism is embraced by most fans and many in the media. The chest thumping celebration after a dunk, or the petulant player who throws a tantrum if the ball isn’t passed to him more, or the player who is under contract but holds out on his teammates until he gets a contract extension, or the tennis player who berates and embarrasses an umpire for doing his job ...
These are all examples of athletes who are putting themselves above everyone else. Anyone who suggests this behaviour shows a flamboyance that is needed in sport and a confidence athletes need to succeed is wrong on both counts. Any and every athlete can have an inner confidence in their God-given talent without needing to force it on fans and disrespect opponents.
Former Vancouver Canucks Daniel and Henrik Sedin were great examples of humility, even insisting upon retiring without any fanfare after Hall of Fame careers.
In his book Don’t Waste Your Sports, C.J. Mahaney lists characteristics of the humble athlete:
- they recognize their limitations, which are exactly meant to humble us
- they welcome critique and correction from coaches
- they acknowledge the contribution of others
- they are gracious in defeat and modest in victory
- they honour their coach, accepting their role and not bad mouthing the coach
- they respect officials by not protesting calls
- they give glory to God knowing that all his skill is a gift from God
Legendary UCLA basketball coach and Christian John Wooden
once said “Talent is God-given so be humble; fame is man-given so be grateful;
conceit is self-given so be careful.”
Major League Baseball coach Rich Donnelly, a Catholic, once said that in sports “You are humble or you will be humbled” due to setbacks you will inevitably face.
Fortitude is another absolutely vital virtue for an athlete – to be persistent through the toughest of challenges including injury, bad losses, abuse from opponents and fans, and grinding through extremely challenging training routines.
Some athletes try to cut corners, but it will catch up to them eventually. As Catholic players or coaches, we must offer up our difficult times to God just like we do in our everyday life. Be an example and a mentor to fellow athletes or students. Trust in God to carry you through the difficult times.
A saying I was taught by my parents was “The harder the fall, the bigger the bounce – depending on what you are made of.”
Examples like Jim Abbott, who reached the major leagues as a pitcher despite only having one hand, should inspire us. How about Willie Oree in hockey and Jackie Robinson in baseball who battled through immense racial and other obstacles to break the colour barrier in their respective sports.
I have a close friend in tennis who had to have radical surgery for cancer that she wasn’t even expected to survive. After the removal of a lung and a great deal more she returned to competing and winning within months even though she can hardly breath at times. There was no obstacle that would stop her.
Always pray during competition and use aspirations (i.e. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, please stay with me) to keep the presence of God in mind at all times.
This is just a look at two virtues. In future columns I’ll analyze the virtues of hope and charity in sports as we continue to bring about “thy kingdom come ... on earth as it is in heaven.”