Sport as a Metaphor for Life

First of all, nice to be back where my access to this board isn't constantly interrupted by power outages, although I was very fortunate to be in a place I love (Nassau).

On the way back, I read an interview with Andre Agassi concerning his new book "Open," which went on the market today. I loved watching Andre play and have hardly seen any tennis at all since he retired. I haven't read the book (it's on my wife's Christmas list for me), but it's pretty obvious that it contains candid revelations about Andre's long-time hatred of tennis, his lack of public sincerity, his use of crystal meth, etc. Pretty sobering stuff for a big-time fan. But fortunately I have the same agreement with Andre that I had with Frank Sinatra, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, the Ghandis, and Mother Teresa. I stay(ed) out of their private lives and they stay(ed) out of mine. We judge(d) one another on our public performances and actions.

And, when I think of Andre, my most vivid recollection is of him coming from behind. He'd often lose the first set And then you could see him figuring the other guy out...looking for little areas of vulnerability...running him side-to-side...surprising him at the net...drop shots...sprinting to the bench during changeovers…getting the crowd into it…wearing the guy out mentally as well as physically. And, more often than not, Andre would win going away. It got so I'd almost root for him to lose that first set so I could watch his strategizing and adaptability in action.

As I was reading about this book, it came to me that Andre's doing in life what he did in tennis. The first portion of his life has been a huge learning process for him. Now he is retooling. He appears to have a great marriage and two kids he obviously loves. The prep school he founded is receiving rave reviews. And he apparently is much more at peace with life. Even the cathartic impact of writing the book (he certainly doesn't need the money) seems to be helping him to come to grips with a newly centered existence.

The analogy between Andre'ss tennis life and his personal life isn’t perfect. Whereas he adjusted with aggression on the court, he seems to be adjusting with compassion off it. But, in general, his story seems to me to exemplify the myriad ways in which life imitates sport.

So I thought I’d ask if anyone else has noticed examples of how sport can sometimes be a metaphor for life. It doesn’t have to be any particular sport. Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way and I’m making far too much of coincidences. So maybe this will be a one-post thread. But I’d welcome any comments you might have.

Thanks,

Sam

Well maybe this will be a two post thead... but I find sports to be the perfect metaphor for life for many of us, whether one is an active participant or a passive fan or a combination of the two.

Sports allows us to live out our hopes and ambitions and fears on a much, much larger stage than we would normally access as private individuals and there is plenty of carthasis available for those of us who take advantage of this opportunity. And there is plenty to learn from sports about life, the ups and downs, the challenges, the frustrations, the limitations and the humility we have a chance to learn in participating, actively or passively.

I am reminded of the great line... "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" which pretty much sums up the lives of those of us who are very intense sports enthusiasts. Nothing mundane about this.

I find it interesting how we choose our teams and our heroes and how those choices ideally should reflect some very fundamental values inside us that we hold dear, values that we may not be able to easily articulate but which we somehow see (or think that we see) reflected in those athletes and teams that we identify with and hold almost "sacred"... to be honest, actually sacred.

I think back to the comment made a few days ago during a difficult, agonizing thread... about the Celtic tradition and how it has epitomized a certain "color blindness" that most real, true Celtic fans hold close to their hearts, a value that we all want to see spread far and wide so that we could have a better world to live in.

Sports gives us a grand opportunity to join hands and to stand for something much larger than ourselves. That we choose to participate says a lot about who we are as individuals and how we find meaning in our lives.

The perfect metaphor.

gc

GC

Perfect.

Jeb

Thanks, GA.

Well it's nice to have an ally on this topic. Maybe it's too abstract or esoteric. But it also happens to be one of my favorite aspects of sport, which is why I'm giving it a try in hopes that people might be able to cite concrete examples of how sport has had an impact on how they live the rest of their lives.

My Celtics orientation obviously developed its foundation before and during the Russell Years. And the most prominent element in all the Auerbach/Russell teams was teamwork. The willingness of those team members to make others better by deferring to them just blew me away (and still does.

I was involved in music during those years, and the "teamwork factor" was very much responsible for my gravitation toward orchestral work. The concept of being constantly accountable to others; the need for utter dependability as a cog in a machine; the knowledge that a momentary lapse could mess up everything and no second chances were allowed....all of those thrilled me equally in orchestra work or in sports (whether participating or watching).

The importance of "team" has followed me through life and has been exemplified in more ways than I could ever recount. Even when I started this forum, the Red/Russ lessons came into play. The development that really solidified the concept was the willingness of NYCelt, gyso and Pete to form a "team" with me. (And the team has since been augmented by dboss.) Just like those great Celtics teams on which I cut my teeth, we all have our roles; but we're also sensitive to, and weigh in on, one another's functions.

I'm still hopeful that others may feel inspired to share some of their own stories.

Sam

The importance of TEAM was lost on breakfast cereal, as TEAM Flakes never rose to Wheaties status, or corn flakes level. It went limp and soggy in a mish-mosh of milk. At last I realized the agony of da' feet when I was forced several years ago to get compression stockings due to bad newspaper "poor Circulation" blood flow in my legs. My arches have now fallen so I now need arch supports. Whoops! I'm Crest fallen now, I just knocked my toothpaste off the side of the sink. Hope the C's have some sour notes for the Jazz tomorrow night!-MD.

I've been working all day trying to figure out the right metaphor for Dennis Rodman, but my head keeps exploding.

Okay, okay, I actually have a non-flippant response. Two, even.

When considering Sam's topic, the first thing that came to mind for me was civil rights. I'm leery of attempting to articulate sport as metaphor for such a significant topic, but I always thought that equality in the gyms and on the playing fields mirrored equality in society. When white players discovered that blacks and other minorities could play with skill, grit, and intelligence, barriers crumbled. You can say that respect in sports is more than an analogy for respect in society; you can say that one helped lead to the other.

The other image that came to mind is the injured softball player being carried around the bases by two players from the opposing team. In case anyone isn't aware of the story, here is the short version (just google "softball sportsmanship" for more info). In a game against Central Washington, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon hit the first home run of her career. Rounding the bases, she missed first, went back to tag it, and blew out her knee. She crawled to the base. The ump said Tucholsky would be called out if teammates helped her and that they could get a pinch-runner, but the hit would only count as a single. Mallory Holtman of CWU asked if her team could help Tucholsky around the bases, and the ump said there was no rule against that, so Holtman and another CWU player carried Sara around the bases to score.

And this was not an easy act of sportsmanship in a lopsided game. This was late in the season, and only the conference winner advanced to the NCAA playoffs, CWU trailed Western Oregon by two games in the standings, and although this happened in the second inning (plenty of time left), the home run put Western Oregon up 3-0 in a game they would win 4-2. The loss eliminated CWU from the conference title and NCAAs. CWU's Holtman, the player who asked the ump if she could help her opponent score, is the career home run leader in the conference and has a competitive desire to win. She'd never been to the NCAAs and, as a senior, this was her last chance. There was certainly ample reason for Holtman to stay quiet, let a pinch-runner take Tucholsky's place, and let the score be 2-0 instead of 3-0.

I could go on for pages about the lack of sportsmanship by fans and players at all levels and what that says about our values as a society. But sticking with the specific incident in the Western Oregon-CWU game, Holtman was not afraid to do what she considered the right thing, and I have no doubt that she will continue to prove herself as a person of character just as she did that day. I think a situation like that is more revealing of a person's character than whether they make a shot or hit the ball in a pressure situation.

My niece just graduated from CWU, and although she wasn't at the game, she did say that news of the story spread fast around campus and made the students proud of what Holtman and the CWU players did. It's good to see people can still take pride in how you play the game, not just whether you win or lose.

Outside

Outside, thanks for sharing that. I had never heard that story before and I'm not gonna lie, got a little teary eyed! If more people put others ahead of themselves in life, we would be a much better society for it. You don't see that kind of selflessness often, and when it happens in competition, it's that much more meaningful. IMO, sports provides a bigger platform for people coming together than anything else. Just look at the Olympics. Yes we are competing against other countries, but there's a sense of camaraderie even during the heat of competition that we just don't have on a day-to-day basis.

Great topic Sam, and great responses from everyone.

outside

There are other stories of that nature too, remember the high school football game where the kid who never got to play due to downs syndrome was sent in late to take a knee in a game that was basically over and the other coach said that is not enough and had his kids step back an allowed this kid to runn 60 yards for a touchdown and his team cheered him on as if he were on their team!

http://www.parentdish.com/2009/09/21/rivals-give-last-touchdown-to-player-with-down-syndrome/

or this one about Jake Porter scoring his only touchdown.

http://www.rob-robson.com/jake_porter/jake_porter.shtml

Or the High School baseball player with cancer who even though he was terribly ill and sick wanted to bat one more time and got a clean single.

http://sportsbybrooks.com/cancer-stricken-high-school-baseball-player-gets-one-last-hit-17576

There are others but suffice to say sports can bring out the best of people in many situations.
I think when we we young we all had dreams involving scoring the winning TD or basket or getting the game winning hit. To be honest those things don't happen much but trying to succeed and leaning how to deal with loosing are lessions that really can't be taught anywhere but on an athletic field.

Striving to succeed despite setbacks. Same as it is in life.
Winning is not always a score we keep. Many times we win by losing.

beat

When Sara was being carried around the bases, we were favored with the Hall & Oates classic: Sara Smile!-MD.

These are all wonderful submissions. During the recession, I've heard a number of instances of people helping their neighbors in a variety of ways—notably pooling resources regarding transportation, shopping, child care, etc. It takes me back to the Second World War, during which I vividly remember neighborhoods banding together in starting victory gardens, taking scrap metal to a big dumpster in the center of town, caring for the children of so many "Rosie the Riveters," etc. Isn't all of that just a manifold extension of good sportsmanship?

Thanks to all who are participating.

Sam

Sam

I know it is way off track to sports but I recall astory about the first moon landing. As the technoligy to get us there and back was really iffy at best althought the best of the time, there was no assurance the three would make it back.
I recall a speech that was prepared by/for President Nixon to give to the nation should Aldrin and Armstrong be forever marooned on the moon.

Being prepared for the worst and hoping it does not happen is not a bad thing, but not to dwell on it.

beat
PS
Marcus had final cuts on the JV team yesterday. Said he was sweating bricks all day but he did make it. Practice today at 10 AM first game in 2 weeks.

Beat,

Glad to hear about Marcus making the team. That must also mean he's feeling better too. How's your wife doing?

Sam

Terri Gross on NPR's Fresh Air this noon had a fascinating interview with Agassi about his new book... that Sam started this thread referring to.

Should be a great, great read. An extremely candid view of life as a professional tennis player.

More later. I may can find a link to the interview. It is a mind blower.

GC

P.S. Here is the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120248809

Al Jefferson is struggling with his recovery from acl surgery and smarting because the team is losing.

I think a lot of big Al. He was a helluva Celtic. So I guess where I am going with this little entry is that within sports there are injuries. Injuries humble us and return us if we are paying attention to the state of gratitude where we all need to hang our hats.

I had a back injury happen to me on a film set in Montana. l-4 bulging l-5 just essentially gone. Finished the film and came home to the worst year of my life.
Went to see a bunch of western docs and they all said surgery. I could not get up out of bed many days. I could not walk many days. My weight went from 175 pounds where it had been most of my life to 225 in the year. I was 36. With my mri I got a scrip for 90 vicodin a month. I took them for the pain. It did not help me. This went on for while. My friend Jimmy was nice enough to let me work at his garden center on the days I could bear it. He saw me struggling with the pain and the pills. He suggested swimming to me. He also suggested a really bad ass chiropractor. I went to see the chiro and he looked me in the eye and said I will get you out of this if you will give me a year. I could see he meant it. I went to the pool. On the days when I couldnt walk on land I COULD walk in the pool. I decided to deep six the pills. I said hellz I think I am going to try to swim some laps. I swam. Made about 5 the first day. I kept goin to the chiro. Each adjustment felt like setting a broke bone. I swam more laps. The chiro and swimming made me healthier. I kept swimming. I told my chiro if you just get me to the point where I can SHOOT hoop it will all have been worth it. I made the decision to get RID of the vicodin. With the excercise and chiro I slowly started to think yes instead of no. I deep sixed all victim thinking. After a few months of swimming and chiro I shot some hoop. I still couldnt play. My friend Jimmy at the garden center asked me if I would consider doing and exercise boot camp with him. I said yes. I went. I told the boot camp instructor about my back and he molded an exercise program just for me. I made it through the first one without puking and got hungry for success. I kept going back and the weight just FLEW off a me.

I started to play tennis and hoop again. I learned all I could about HOW to best have and live with a back injury. When I was able to play hoop again I was so grateful. Any day I could get up out of bed and have full function I was so grateful. I cant play b-ball like I used to but I can still play tennis at a very high level. Hell I guess that I am trying to say that being injured was scary to me. It threatened my career and my manhood. I had to work through a ton of pain and doubt to get back but I did it. I have pretty full function now. I think KG is goin through some similar things and I know Al is. Being hurt changes you. It damn near rewired me. The whole way I think changed. I find on the days I am doin good I am grateful for what I do have.

Anyway I dont know if any of this makes sense on Sam's thread but seeing that article on Al Jefferson made me want to share it.

Jeb, congratulations on your major comeback. It almost sounds easy until one thinks on a day-by-day basis, with the pain and the setbacks and the perseverence despite the temptation to skip a day. Nicely done.

Sam

When it all gets taken away and you get it back...