A Sports and Spirituality Icon: The Eagle....Fly!

Three events in sports have invited me to reflect upon the most regal of birds, our national symbol: the eagle. You can probably guess where this is going, so let's fly!

Many Americans might know that Ben Franklin proposed the turkey as our national symbol, but why?  To me, the eagle is the most majestic of all birds...its beauty is striking, its strength is overt. However, the History Channel reports that the Founding Father argued that the eagle was a bird of bad moral character that does not get his living honestly because it steals food from the fishing hawk and is too lazy to fish for himself." In short, Franklin saw the eagle as a scavenger. He didn't want those qualities associated with America.

The rest of Congress, obviously, did not agree. They voted to confirm the eagle as our national symbol, placing it at the center of the National Seal for the United States of America, The glory for this magnificent bird didn't stop at this handsome emblem. In the world of sports, an eagle captures what we celebrate in this American icon: wonder, inspiration, power, and beauty. 

"Sick"
The documentary "Nine Innings From Ground Zero" raises important questions about the significance of symbols. As written by the movie's description on Amazon, 

In the days following terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, sports might have seemed trivial and irrelevant. But Nine Innings from Ground Zero demonstrates how New Yorkers, in fact, embraced baseball with a cathartic passion, turning Yankees and Mets games into spontaneous rituals of grief and showcases for resilience and the restoration of normalcy.

Part of the ritual and gathering was framed by the symbols that matter to our country, a nation in mourning. A tattered flag from what had been the World Trade Center plaza was raised to fly above Yankee stadium. The seventh inning stretch now included the singing of "God Bless America" As this unofficial nation anthem commenced, a member of NYPD released an eagle into the night sky to watch it fly in its glory—without inhibition. This handsome bird circled the diamond only to return safely to the man who had set it free.

When my students see the eagle—the spreading if its wings, its flight and its return to NYPD, clutching the officer with its talons—their eyes widen and there's a silent wow. Others will say "that's sick!" (code for amazing).  I see this action and I know the answer to the questions I ask them to consider: 

• Why might symbols be necessary or important in times of distress or joy? Comment.
• Has a symbol (like the flag) ever taken on increased significance for you? Respond.

-2

In golf, the rarest of all birds is actually a shot I didn't' know even existed: the condor. I have a feeling this bird has flown less than 10 times in world history. It is a hole in one on a Par 5 hole. I am thoroughly convinced I will never see that happen in my lifetime, and prior to last Sunday, I wondered the same thing about my own golf game about a different bird/a different shot: the eagle.

An eagle is a -2 on a scorecard. An eagle is a hole in one on a par 3, a hole in two on a par four and in my case, a hole in 3 on a par 5. I have come close but a few times, and yet that 4.25" hole isn't ever easy to get into...even when you have a caddy, a putter and a good read in hand!

I know I'll remember what made this eagle happen. I had a great shot off the tee that landed in the middle of the fairway. On my second shot with my 5-wood, I hit the ball on the screws. It traveled straight and far. As I prepared my third shot, I scoped my distance to the pin. I stood 105 yards out looking at a green slightly raised from me. I pulled out my nine iron and hit it cleanly. The ball hit the pin and dropped straight down and into the hole. I waited for its reverberation....out of the hole, down the slope...somewhere else on the green ...but it stayed in. 

When asked to do a "jumping" photo in the future, I will recall how I felt on hole #5 on the Lake course at the Olympic Club.  It was made possible because that ball knew how to fly...and how to land. That's an eagle for you.

Birds

Today, the NFL team from Ben Franklin's hometown will take on the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN in Super Bowl LII. The Eagles, aka "The Birds" have never won a Super Bowl and like the city they represent, this team delights in its underdog status. After the NFC title game, Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson and Chris Lane ran off the field with dog masks on their heads, after beating the Atlanta Falcons.  

The two Eagles players were out to lunch last week, smarting that they were 2½-point home ’dogs in the divisional round, so Johnson said they found the latex German Shepherd masks on Amazon, stashed them on the sideline and pulled them on after they won. “Just something a little fun,” Johnson had said.

Their fans ate it up, which is a surprise to no one. Known to have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports, the team consistently ranks in the top three in attendance and has sold out every game since 1999. In a Sports Illustrated poll of 321 NFL players, Eagles fans were selected the most intimidating fans in all of the NFL. 

In this way, the Eagles reveal the true nature of our national bird—the scrap, they claw and scavenge to get their feast. I don't really have a dog in this Super Bowl fight, but for the citizens of the City of Brotherly Love, I hope your Eagles use those inner resources on the gridiron today, remain steadfast on D and.... soar. 

Photo Credits
National Seal