Shohei Ohtani and the Art of Not Ruining Baseball

After the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series (NLCS), Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts addressed the crowd and media. He remarked:

Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!

Roberts’ comment wasn’t just trash talk after a win. It was a strategic public statement: He acknowledged critics blaming the Dodgers for “ruining baseball" and this Giants fan could not agree more. They have the second highest payroll in MLB. They have won the NL West eleven of the last twelve years. I used to believe what the orange and black meme reported: the West can't be bought, it must be won. I guess we were wrong, but so are the critics. How? Why? 

While I believe there are strong argument for spending, competitive fairness, and what teams who flex a strong financial muscle do to the equation there's an individual—a highly paid, strongly coveted one—who is doing anything but ruining the game. He's illuminating it and it's magic. His name is Shohei Ohtani.

For those of you who have only heard his name until now, as I like to say—no, he's not Irish. Ohtani, Shohei as he is known when he goes to bat in Japan (surname is always first) was born on July 5, 1994 in Mizusawa (now part of Ōshū), a city in Iwate Prefecture, located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. If I were to offer a comparison to a city in the U.S., Bangor, Maine might suffice.

He is a hitting slugger and a slugging hitter. He bats left and throws right—quite often in the same game. His swing is violent but elegant and at times he makes hitting the curve look laughably easy. Although the term "unicorn" is often overused, in this instance it's fitting. He's not a myth, he's a man and will be a legend. He's worth watching in the 2025 World Series, despite the fact he wears Dodger Blue. 

I've written about him before (ISO Creativity...Thank you Shohei Ohtani and The Virtues of Video Games by way of Shohei Ohtani), but he's worth highlighting here and now because this postseason offers a chance to see history and beauty, wonder and awe in action. It's not too late.  

For those who are unaware, on Friday, October 17, 2025, Ohtani pitched six-plus scoreless innings and struck out 10. He also had the 13th three-homer game in postseason history — the first, it goes without saying, that included walking off the pitcher’s mound to a standing ovation. Chelsea James of the Washington Post writes, 

Certainly, by the time he hit his third homer in the seventh inning and sent many of his teammates’ heads into their hands in disbelief, everyone in the ballpark knew they were watching the greatest game any player had ever played.

This is Beethoven at a piano. This is Shakespeare with a quill. This is Michael Jordan in the Finals. This is Tiger Woods in Sunday red.

Yes, nights such as Friday’s are Ohtani’s job. But perhaps more than for any other player in recent years, it is clear they are also his calling. Ohtani is what happens when someone awarded a unique dose of genius follows its lead and ends up where they both belong. He is that rare baseball talent so gifted that no slump ever feels more than a few swings away from ending. His confidence is so durable, it is as if he believes success is fated by now.

Unlike Bob Dylan, Ohtani was not "A Complete Unknown." As featured in the "60 Minutes" interview from 2017, "Shotime" was widely considered a once-in-a-generation talent." During the 13-minute feature, Jon Wertheim reveals that at the age of 18, Ohtani held a press conference to announce his Major League intentions. He went so far as to tell Japanese teams not to draft him. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters drafted him anyway (first round, 2012), and successfully convinced him to stay in Japan by promising he could be both a pitcher and a hitter. This decision made headlines across Japan as no other professional team made that offer. To say in "a star was born" is short-sighted. Rather, a star shone in the East before it went West.

What might be the most interesting part of this profile is the way that Shohei was coached as a Fighter. The manager Hideki Kuriyama was short on praise. Shohei said "last year when we won the championship, that was the first time he gave me a compliment. He said, 'that was great pitching'." Incredulous, Wertheim repeats, "Never complimented you before that?" Ohtani pauses, shakes his head and retorts, "not once. He always says, you've got to get better." While this style of managing may not ruin baseball or a baseball player—it is certainly interesting and worth further consideration. It worked.

Kuriyama explained his rationale. He said "I truly believed he's a lot better than where he's at right now." Dodger fans—heck any baseball can thank him. Kuriyama was right.

Under no certain terms, would I ever purchase or wear a Dodger jersey. However, if I were to consider that plight, I wouldn't think long or hard. I would purchase #17 in honor of Shoehei Ohtani. He has not ruined baseball, he's only made it more interesting, exciting, and beautiful.  

Photo Credits
Pitching
Hitting
Microphone

From the Field to Faith: Three Ways to Inspire, Teach and Reach Students

Good teachers are forever seeking to make connections to everyday life, to what helps students learn and remember and what takes ahold of their hearts and minds. They know their students and their interests, so I'm never surprised when I get asked from teachers, administrators, and catechists how to incorporate sports and spirituality into the curriculum. There's no secret sauce, but here are three simple and practical ways. Let's go!

1. Humor
What parishioner doesn’t enjoy a homily that begins with a good joke? It immediately puts the congregation at ease and prepares us to receive the message. Humor is an important pedagogical tool for it helps us to open our ears and ideally our hearts. 

I'm not sure we use humor enough in the classroom. One of my colleagues made it her PEERS teaching goal to laugh more with her students. We wondered if this were a lofty goal. It's certainly a worthy one. 

One of the joys of sports is the way it invites and invokes humor. Rivalries, the culture of professional, collegiate and local teams, the personalities of athletes let alone their names offer a treasure trove of creative ideas, possible pundits, jokes and more. Because sports are dynamic—showcasing humanity at its best and its worst—it’s not surprise that is serves as a stage where the absurd and the inspiring coexist. We laugh at the blunders as much as we marvel at brilliance. We have to.

I woke up this morning jacked from the 34-24 Notre Dame win over our rival, USC. I read this post by my friend Jim and I laughed out loud. 

A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.   

Love is patient, love is kind. Love ran for 228 yards against the Trojans.

The word of the Lord.

☘️ Credit to SoCaliDomer @ndnation.com 

Christians are quite familiar with this passage from St.Paul. And ND fans are very familiar with the success of Irish running back Jeremiyah Love. 

Thanks for posting that quote, JC. I always enjoy what you write!

In class, we are studying the Church's historical engagement with sport. The text states, "Jesus offers no explicit commentary on sport in the four canonical Gospels. However, Saint Paul on multiple occasions invokes the motif of running as a metaphor of discipleship, most commonly in his repeated injunction to not running in vain. (p 15)" Having fun with scripture keeps it lively...and Paul was right to write...

2. The Analog
In the St. Vincent de Paul parish newsletter, my pastor, Father Arturo, shared a message that beautifully connects athletics with the spiritual life. He draws an analogy between what athletes require to succeed and what faith calls forth in us. He writes:

Many athletes can tell us how important stamina is to their success. In the closing minutes of a game, it can often come down to who still has the energy to do their best. Persistence in their will power and athletic talent can often determine the winner. Saint Paul said: "I have competed well. I have finished the race; I have kept the faith."

Often, our faith requires stamina as well. Beaten down by tragedies, failures and disappointments, is our faith strong enough to enable us to persist living God and loving our neighbor? Is our faith strong enough to pursue justice and peace? Is our faith strong enough to persevere in prayer even though our prayers can seem unanswered? Remember: "Sometimes, God shuts the door to us but He opens the window."

As we celebrate the Jubilee Year, may hope sustain our stamina to the end of our days.

With a Prayer, 
Father Arturo Albano, Pastor

Theology is faith seeking understanding. Metaphors like the one Father Arturo and Saint Paul offer are more than helpful tools. They invite and enable the faithful to reflect upon their own experiences to understand God in a new and personal way.

Catholic spirituality is characterized as a both/and proposition. It is not dialectical; it does not embrace an either/or way of seeing the world. God is both in Church and in sport. This point of view underscores how and why a "theology of sport" is valuable and worthy of further study.

3. God Speaks to Every Element...|
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit priest, philosopher, and paleontologist wrote, “God speaks to every element in the language it can understand” Amen.

God is always seeking to connect with us, reach us and find us. God speaks our language—we need not speak God's. For me, that language is sports. I grew up in a home that embraced sport. We watch sports, participate in them, have coached and refereed sports. But not everyone speaks sports. And, among those of us who do, we may speak a common language but there are dialects and accents. 

However, many of us speak several languages. I would love to teach Spirituality and Rock n Roll. I think my mom could teach a class called Spirituality and Gardening. To me, the analog is so obvious and invitational. And, that's my point. As a teacher, you might not find metaphors between Sports and Spirituality easy to create but you might have a few one goods for Spirituality and Cooking or Spirituality and Art. In short, don't let sports get in the way of spirituality—find what resonates with you and run with it (pun intended).

In Conclusion
I love talking Sports and Spirituality. I am always looking for new ideas, lesson plans and ways to connect with my seniors. No semester is the same because sports is always changing—and so are the spiritual lives of the young people in my class and mine, too.

Teaching is demanding and rewarding. It is challenging but fun. Keeping laughter, creativity and connection in the classroom make it that much better. I'm grateful to teach this language and way of connecting to God. 

Photo Credits
J-Love
Sports Theology
The Fit

Reminding and Inviting Players to Pray for Coaches

Prayer is a priority in Sports and Spirituality. I am always considering best practices around teaching It. On a regular basis I re-examine how to pray, why it matters, and who we pray for. It’s a task that is both challenging and exciting, rewarding and revelatory. 

Prayer is our effort to reach out to God, and I continue to be amazed at the many ways God reaches us—quietly, kindly, and lovingly. There is always a surprise, and this week was no exception: an insight came from an unexpected person in an unexpected place. A comment from sports pundit Stephen A. Smith—about Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon striking one of his players—led me to genuine, searching questions about prayer. God continues to write straight on crooked lines. Here’s the story.

The bell rings, students are in their desk and before I reach the agenda, we have time for prayer and a sports thought of the day. I hope this daily ritual offers students a sacred pause—a meaningful moment in their day. For the first three weeks, I lead and model different forms of prayer, introducing a variety of styles and practices that students might later choose to use when it’s their turn to lead.

I resist the idea of “evaluating” prayer; instead, I see my role as guiding and supporting students in this shared practice. Each semester, I look for ways to deepen and improve the experience—for them and for our community as a whole. At times the responsibility of leading prayer can be uncomfortable and impersonal. On other occasions it is beautiful, joyful and inspiring. It is always dynamic— a privilege, an opportunity, and an invitation to encounter the Lord.

An important part of leading prayer is talking about prayer and why its important. Our text book "On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport" speaks of prayer as an important routine and ritual for coaches and athletes. 

Prayer is more than simply asking God for things. According to Ward, prayer is an open stance to and experience of God. It is an act of faith, where one maintains a fundamental disposition of reception because “God gives continually, without abatement.” Instead of being concerned with whether God will give the gift we ask for, a more authentic stance focuses on opening ourselves to God by asking for assistance. At a fundamental level, humans have been gifted with life from the Creator; in prayer, we are willing to receive other gifts as a sign of our acceptance of this original gift.

I love the framing of prayer as a stance—ideally an open one! 

The text also takes on the question of praying for the win. We discussed why we do this, even when we know we ought to pray not for the outcome of a game, but rather that we play our best, stay healthy and have fun.

I asked students to reflect on their own experiences of praying with their teammates and coaches. I asked them if they think their coaches pray for them. I don't think they had ever considered this question before. I didn't get a lot of responses so I asked my class, "Do you pray for your coaches?" Again, silence. I followed up with another question. I asked, "Why do you think it might be important that you do pray for them?"

Rather than return to the notion of alignment or a disposition of reception, I said "well the events in Arizona with Coach Jonathan Gannon certainly speak to why you might." While a few students knew the reference, most did not. I said "this is a good reason for ChatGPT, but I can explain this fairly quickly."

During a game against the Tennessee Titans,Cardinals WR Demercado appeared to drop the football before crossing the goal line on what would have been a 72-yard touchdown. The play was ruled a fumble/touchback instead. This proved to be a costly error in a game the Cardinals ultimately lost 22-21. 

It's hard to understand how Demercado let this happen. I can't and won't answer that. However, for the purpose of this post, it's important to know that in response to what occurred, Gannon went onto the sideline, confronted Demercado, and made physical contact (a swing at his arm) during the confrontation. He snapped in a big way. In short, he hit his own player. 

The next day, Gannon apologized in a team meeting and in a press conference. He admitted that he “let the moment get the better of me,” and said the behavior did not reflect who he wants to be as a leader. 

The Cardinals internal review led them to fine Gannon $100,000. The NFL decided not to impose any additional discipline. 

Demercado accepted responsibility for his mistake, stating there was “no excuse” for letting go of the ball. 

Although football is an emotional game and a physical one—confrontation in this way is not acceptable or to be tolerated. It is also rare. 

Sports talk radio and TV were asked their opinion on this event. I personally heard Stephen A. Smith's take. He made it VERY clear that Coach Gannon was wrong in taking physical action. Very clear. But he noted, this speaks to the pressure that these coaches are under. You lose but three games and you are fired. I asked my students if they think their coaches feel pressure to win. They nodded in understanding. I said "pray for them." They got it. We got it. I get it. 

Through prayer, I learn more about my students and about God and even myself. And this past week, I came to realize that it's important to remind one another to pray, to pray for each other and to know that others are praying for us. Through prayer, God can help us grow in love, empathy and compassion. Prayer, after all, is a privilege, an opportunity, and an invitation to encounter the Lord.

There is much more to write about prayer...

1. Why I have shied away from asking students for petitions (sad)
2. What my students have learned through our study of the Supreme Court Case of Kennedy vs. Bremerton (2022). 
3. One best practice in prayer: A.C.T.S (learned a lot through this one!)
   
4. Why we continue to pray for the win. Go Irish ;-) 
5. Why there's no better goal than helping students to pray and yet, why it's so tough.

Photo Credits

A Case for Showing Up: Congrats to Paul Toboni, President of Operations, Washington Nationals

I hear it from every panel of students. You won’t find an exit interview that doesn’t address its value and importance. At our in-service on Thursday, I expect to hear reminders from administrators and wise colleagues: faculty and staff can—and should—attend their students’ games, concerts, and performances. Showing up for kids makes a world of difference.

The truth is, it is increasingly challenging to get teachers and administrators to stay after school. American life is busy. Please don’t get me wrong—so many of my colleagues are incredibly generous with their time: preparing fantastic lessons, holding study sessions, and coming early or staying late for office hours. Teaching and counseling demand a lot from a person. The easy thing is to go home and stay there. And yet, the hiring of Paul Toboni as the President of Baseball Operations for the Washington Nationals affirmed for me why it is more than worth it to go.

On September 24, the assistant athletic director saw me in the hallway and couldn't wait to share some excited news with me. He handed me his phone and I read the following tweet from ESPN baseball writer, Jeff Passan.

BREAKING: The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to name Paul Toboni their new head of baseball operations, sources tell ESPN. Toboni, 35, rose rapidly to become assistant GM for the Boston Red Sox and is widely regarded as one of the best young executives in MLB.

I put it down; we both smiled and I said "WOW!!! That's incredible. Thanks so much for sharing that with me, Rob." He replied, "I knew you would appreciate it."

Paul Toboni graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep in 2008. The SI community is tireless in its efforts to share and celebrate the success of students and alumni—near or far, young or old. When the news is about a student you have taught or an athlete you have coached, it feels that much more special. You feel joy, pride, and a connection. Sometimes you tell anyone who will listen. And to be very clear, this is super special. We have 50 people in the US Senate. There are only 30 GMs, or as they are now called—presidents of operation. Paul and Buster Posey are peers! 

To my friends and family who love baseball or live in the DC Metroplex, I passed along the update about Paul. The irony, however, is that I never even taught him. Yet, the pride I felt was real, a reminder that the SI network and spirit extend far beyond the classroom.

Even though I taught a required Religious Studies course, Paul was not my student. His older sister, Gianna, was in my Foundations of Ethics: Morality and Justice her junior year. She was always an engaged and willing participant—greeting me as her teacher and thanking me at the conclusion of every class. In fact, I can recall that she was in my first-period class, and that means I got those students at 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. Even though that could be rough, Gianna consistently set a positive tone with her presence, her smile, and her thoughtful questions.

During his introductory presser in DC, Paul said "I would like to thank my family who is here today. My folks and my siblings. I like to say that I hit the lottery at birth, I had no control over the circumstance that I was born into but they all struck a great balance of loving me but challenging me and I'm forever indebted to all of you." I loved his remarks and I wasn't surprised to hear him say what he said. To teach Gianna was to know about her two older brothers, her young sister Jacqueline and her younger brother, Paul, too.

I also taught Paul's wife, Danielle. I think back to Danielle's contributions and participation in Sports and Spirituality with a smile that rivals hers (which is epic). Danielle missed class early in the semester because she was traveling for the US Women's (under 17/18) national soccer team. This meant that we collaborated before or after class to make it all work. She was nothing but responsible, diligent and a bright light. She laughs easily and memories of her in that class still make me smile. Paul added "to my wife Danielle and our four boys—all of you make life so fun. It can be crazy at times but I'm lucky to have all of you." I can only imagine.

So why celebrate? Why write about a student you never taught? Consider this.

Although I did not teach Paul, I did know him—because that’s what happens when you watch a student-athlete over the course of three years. Paul made the varsity squad as a sophomore, and I had the opportunity to watch him develop, improve, and lead with each passing season. I attended so many SI varsity basketball games that I gained a strong sense of who he was as an athlete, a teammate, and a person. I wasn’t alone—sitting alongside me were a sizable number of other teachers, faculty, staff, and the families of the players, all behind the SI bench. I’ve always loved that perch in the bleachers above, where you can watch athletes sit, get called in to play, take a time out, and gather in the huddle. 

Truth be told, I was a fan of many of those kids—I can still name at least two starting lineups. But Paul stood out. For one, he wore 22—my lucky number, my favorite number in honor of Will Clark. Hard not to cheer for that! His fundamentals were rock-solid. Any basketball purist would take pride in his hustle, mechanics, and grit. In fact I can still recall talking to Leo LaRocca, the former AD and an iconic SI leader about Paul.

I was sitting one row behind him for a varsity boys' basketball game and we were both watching Paul warm up. A great shooter, I said to Leo, "as they say, practice makes perfect." He remained quiet. He nodded and said "no, perfect practice makes perfect." I took note.

In light of his basketball IQ, work ethic and temperament I figured Paul must have made him a joy to coach. I decided to reach out to his coach, Tim Reardon for an answer. Truth be told, I expected a four sentence response. Instead, I got four paragraphs. I savored each story, recalling those memories. He wrote,

Paul was a two-time first team all-league basketball player, and it wasn't even his best sport. He was also an all-league baseball player. and before his senior year, the football team was trying to get him to come out for the team and play quarterback! It's true. He actually played some spring ball. I watched him throwing dimes out there on JB Murphy field and assumed we would get him a month late for basketball, but he changed his mind. I think football wanted him not only because he had a great arm but also, and more importantly, because he's a winner and a fantastic teammate.

In 2007, we lost the NorCal semi-final game by one point to a really good O'Dowd team. When we got in the locker room, Paul said to the team, "That one's on me, fellas." He'd had a mediocre shooting night and didn't want any of the seniors to take the blame. But Alex Brown immediately replied, "We never would have gotten here if you didn't win the CCS championship game for us." And, of course, Alex was right. We'd gotten down in that 16-4 in the first quarter, and Paul had a crazy game to bring us back for the win.

My dad was a big Paul Toboni fan, and my dad's favorite PT moment occurred in a CCS semi-final game in 2008. The game had been settled. There were 5 seconds left, and we were down by seven. We were resigned to the fact that the game was over. Our guys were already shaking hands with the SHC players as the clock ticked down. But then SHC's star player started to dribble hard toward the basket. He was going to dunk on us to end our season. Paul was at half court and saw what was happening. He took off like he'd been shot out of a cannon, and just as the SHC player was about to begin his jump, Paul caught him and laid him out. It wasn't a cheap shot. But it was an extremely hard foul. The SHC guy would have to settle for free throws instead of getting to humiliate our team at the end of a pretty good year. My dad walked over to Paul after the game and thanked him for that.

Paul and I keep in touch. He's a great family man. He's smart as hell and quietly competitive. During our last home game against a highly ranked Mitty team, their coach came up to me and said Paul should get player of the year. "I have a couple of players who are probably better than Paul," he said. "But I'd take him over any of them. He's good for the league. He plays the right way."

I'm really proud of him. Glad you're writing about him!

Thank you, Tim for taking the time to respond and put in writing what so many of us saw and want to remember. And as standard protocol—if there's a Notre Dame connection, it needs to be made. Tim added that when Paul was enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business at ND, he competed in Bengal Bouts—a program meant to "develop men who are rooted in charity to become the best boxers they can be, and raise money for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh." I bet he was an excellent boxer.

I start every class with prayer and a Sports Thought of the Day. It was fun to begin class with this update about an SI alum—a man who once sat in the very same rooms as them and where life has taken him. It was especially joyful to note that he married a woman from SI who is every bit as bright (smart) and bright (glowing) as he is. They both remind me that our students are worth showing up for—in the classroom and far beyond. 

Photo Credits
Dugout
Quote

I Blame Me: Reflections on My Sports Ethic

I’m disappointed in myself. The only person I can blame is me. That sports ethic I’ve always held as a point of pride, the one I’ve written about and shared with my students as my way of proceeding, I compromised. I told myself I’d make an exception, that this time I’d go with what seemed like the better bet. I was wrong. I did not survive. I will not advance. I have been ousted from the Winner's Pool that I joined in August because I bet against my own team: the San Francisco 49ers. Here are a few lessons I learned.

Why?
The local sports talk radio spewed vitriol against our own team as they had their first loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-21. If the SF Giants hadn't fired Bob Melvin—the team manager, unpacking the loss and menacing plight of this team would have had more air time. 

Yes, the Niners have the weakest schedule in the league but the "faith" in Forty-Niner Faithful was A.W.O.L. In thinking about this game, one friend asked me if Shanahan should bench Christian McCaffrey—the Niners' star running back. Like so many others, he came to a foregone conclusion that the Rams would prevail. he said "why put C-Mac's health at risk?" While I understood the sentiment. we agreed that it was too early in the season to take such rash gestures.

C-Mac had one things to say after last night's win: "Gritty."

When it came time to make my pick, I chose the Rams without delay. In short, I listened to the haters. Were they the wrong voices? Yes and no.

No—because a "smart bet" looks at the money line and determines how one team matches up against another. The Niners continue to be plagued by injury. One has to wonder if they should put who remains active in bubble wrap. I could go on and on and on about why this was the "smart bet" and the easy one. I won't. 

Yes—because negativity speaks loud and clear. I heard those voices and added to the conversation. That's really not my style. In sports, it's not hard to see what goes wrong, when and where. Furthermore, it can be a real challenge to be objective about your own team. You know them the best and yes, your vision is clouded. This is just one reason why my ethic forbids me for betting for or against my own team. But, this is also the entire point of having an ethic in the first place.

Didn't know this existed...

Is a Win a Loss? Is a Loss a Win?
IF the Rams had won, would I reflect on my sports ethic? Would I write about it?  This question reminds me of a comment from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. 

Napheesa Collier, a star player for the Minnesota Lynx, said "At Unrivaled this past February, I sat across from Cathy and asked how she planned to address the officiating issues in our league. Her response was, 'Well, only the losers complain about the refs' (CBS Sports)."

I have read enough to know that Engelbert's comment was not taken out of context. I find it dismissive and an unfair. I also find some truth in it. When a person or a team loses, it's only natural to closely examine what went wrong. Many times, the officials are an easy target; fact is referees have an do impact the outcome of games. 

Failure invites us to determine What we could have done differently? and How can we get better? This is one of the spiritual gifts of failure. Losing a game invites us to ask what might have been done better. In this way, failure carries with it a kind of spiritual gift. Of course, athletes and teams also reflect on what went right in order to succeed. Still, the old saying, “hindsight is 20/20,” rings true for a reason.

Had the Rams won and my survivor status remained in tact, I think I would revisit and reflect upon my ethic. How? Why? I live with myself. I know how I felt DURING the game hoping that the Rams might pull ahead. I didn't pray, but I felt like praying for a tie when both teams reached overtime.

So What? 
This experience only reminded me of why we have an ethic in the first place. A personal ethic offers a person a place to stand and a way to proceed. It is formed over time and from lived experiences. It reflects values and can help a person live a good life. To follow one's ethic is to live with purpose and principle.

In this instance, I am reminded that a personal ethic isn't always easy to follow. We make decisions that we think are right. We aim to get an edge, an advantage or one up. This is natural, even understandable—especially for competitive people!

A personal ethic and abiding by it suggest that regardless of the outcome, winning and victory is not always external—there is much to be said for what comes from within. And hey, as my friend Haley said, "Glad it was the Niners who knocked me out of Survivor's Pool." Great perspective.

FWIW: This what I have written and shared with my students in regard to my personal sports ethic.

1. I don’t wear shirts, gear or swag of other teams. From time to time I wish I could.
1. Love Josh Allen; would love a #17 Red and Blue Bills Tee.
2. I don’t bet FOR or AGAINST my team. 
1. Most people are willing to be FOR their team. Nope. The love is pure.
3. I will not bet on my team’s rival to WIN.
1. Bet on Dodgers to win the World Series in 2024. This meant I had to cheer for them. It felt dirty.

Photo Credits
Hates Guide
Pointing
Ethics