Why Sports?

I just witnessed one of the greatest basketball games I have ever seen last night: Butler vs. Duke. Some called it David vs. Goliath. But really, it was Thor vs. Hercules. Patton vs. Rommel. Rocky vs. Draggo. It was two evenly matched warriors getting after it. And in the end, Butler came up short. Painfully, painfully, short.

All night, I was rolling in my sleep. I kept picturing the shot going in. But it didn’t. I would wake up and realize that it didn’t go in. What would have been the greatest ending to the greatest story became a nightmare (literally). And then I thought to myself: What if I was Gordon Hayward? What if I had spent my entire life dedicated to this sport, pouring out blood, sweat, and tears for 20 years of my life, and to get that close to the dream, and then to have the dreams bounce so fiercely off the back of the rim? What if I was the parent of Shelvin Mack or Ronald Nored, and I had to watch my child give of his entire self, and to want nothing but the best for him, and then watch him walk off the court with his head hanging down? That hurts.

I’m not going to call this a moral victory. People who call it a moral victory don’t understand what it means to compete. When you compete, you play to win, and when you don’t win, you don’t like it. You don’t pat yourself on the back. Sure, other people may pat you on the back, but you don’t pat yourself on the back. You want to win. Just ask Hayward.

An ESPN article wrote the following: “Asked whether the glorious run to this point will outlive the pain of defeat, Hayward said no. "For me [the strongest memory] is going to be the loss," Hayward said. "I hate losing."

That’s what I mean when I say this is not a moral victory.

Sure, Butler fans are proud of them. I am proud of them. The school has had a national exposure that no marketing campaign could ever accomplish. Millions of dollars of revenue have been funneled to the school. America was given an amazing story and an amazing game.

But go ask Hayward if any of this matters to him right now. Right now, he’s just thinking about that shot.

But deep down, I am happy. In fact, I am elated. Why? Because I am so happy to know that warriors like Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack are going to be a part of our future. The battlefields of sport are only a test for the real battlefields that we face in life. The character and virtue gained while striving for the glimmering trophy or for the final championship will be used on other days. General McArthur said, “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other days and other fields will bear the fruits of victory.” There will be other days for these young men, and you can bet your life that when they get their shots, there will be more at stake than a championship medal.

Sometimes, I am prone to despair. I look at all the bad things that are happening in our world, and I wonder, “How is it possible for this human drama to continue? Why is there so much hurt, cowardice, and evil in the world?” And then I watch a Butler basketball game, and I watch an entire team give of themselves so completely and so fiercely, and I watch them walk away in pain. But I also see the character being formed. The humility being crafted. The deep inner resolve and focused intensity that only the heat of agony can provide. I see warriors being formed. And this makes me happy, because if there is one thing this world could use more of, it is more warriors.

Gordon Hayward may have missed the final shot. And while it may have been his last shot in college basketball, it won’t be his last “shot” in life. He and his entire team are just beginning the game of life, and you can bet that when they get their shots at something other than basketball, there will be more at stake than a little blue ribbon. I have no doubt that these young men are going to be a slam dunk.

I love sports. Even when it hurts. What about you?