The Real Winner of the 2016 Sportsperson of the Year....

The death of British singer, songwriter—George Michael—on Christmas Day serves as a punctuation mark on what so many people have deemed a year of total loss. The world also bid farewell to several music icons in 2016—David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Prince (NB: a future posting will be written about the many athletes and coaches who are no longer with us). Though their legacy lives on, their music remains. We still miss them.

I have a sneaky suspicion that on New Year's eve you will read on social media a tremendous number of bitter goodbyes to 2016. Never before have I heard so many people proclaim they were ready to be done with these 365 days. I thought even years were supposed to be good? Maybe the "7" in 2017 is something folks look forward to...?.... Regardless, it's more than fair to say that 2016 has not been easy.

The crisis is Syria is so heartbreaking, I have difficulty reading about the plight of these refugees, the persecution of Christians and the violence too many children have suffered. Race relations in the United States reached Fahrenheit 452...one degree more than the temperature at which paper combusts. The violence in our inner-cities: Oakland, Chicago, Detroit—the struggle is too real. And as much as people want this year to end, prior to November 8, 2016, I have never heard so many state that they wanted the presidential election to be over. When it was, a new pandemonium broke out. 2016, you took no prisoners....except for one. Sports...and guess what? Sports won.

Sports put up a fight, one of its very best in decades. Sports showcased epic victories in our heartland (NBA Finals and the World Series) on our homeland (Ryder Cup) and internationally (in Rio) that should not be overlooked. Records and droughts were broken. Honestly, LeBron James should not have been named the Sportsperson of the Year. I wish Sports Illustrated had given the honor to....sports. 

As written by the editors of SI, 

Every month, it seemed, unlocked a watershed moment, bigger and more dramatic than the previous one, a sort of Russian nesting doll in reverse. Who, last January, would have been so bold as to predict that the Cubs, a team from Cleveland and a 5,000-t0-1 long shot in England would win titles? Other shocking events—the Olympic excellence of Bolt, Phelps, Ledecky and Biles, a record tying seventh NASCAR title for Jimmie Johnson—bolstered the argument for this being the Greatest Year in Sports.

So if you would like to change the tone of your New Year's celebration beyond resentment, despair, anger, or fear, I'd like to suggest raising a glass to the following great moments in sports. Please post and share your own!

1. NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game: Villanova d. UNC. With 4.7 seconds left on the game clock, Kris Jenkins to Ryan Arcidiacono to Kris Jenkins for three and the national championship over North Carolina.
   
   
2. When Madison Bumgarner defeated the formidable right-hander Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets at CitiField, San Francisco Giants fans truly began to believe that maybe—just maybe—a single player could bring another World Series title for the 4 time in 6 years. MadBum led the Giants in their only defeat of the Chicago Cubs in what became a 13-inning game that lasted at nearly seven hours. I kept thinking of my brother, the biggest Giants fan I know who remained awake at 3:00 a.m. to see the finish. Ultimately, Bumgarner did NOT get the win in that game and we know who did not win the Series. That being said, much of America was happy for the Cubs, or suddenly became Cubs fans. The outcome of the Presidential election seemed to rain on their media victory parade. That being said, over one million people attended.
   
   
3. Ryder Cup, Hazeltine, MN. Though 2016 wasn't one of the great years for men's golf—Spieth had an epic collapse at the Masters, the finals of the US Open (which I loved) was fighting for time with Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and the PGA Championship faced one rain delay after another, the Americans took the Ryder Cup title by a definitive score of 17-11. Some folks don't like the trash talking and ardent emotion of match play golf. Golf purists are uncomfortable with etiquette on vacay, but I loved seeing good golf. The competitive spirit was alive and bumpin'. Great job Team USA!
   
   
4. Klay Thompson drains a 3 in Game 5 of the Western Finals. As written on NBA.com, while Klay Thompson added 27 points as Golden State sent the best the best-of-seven series back to Oklahoma City for Game 6 on Saturday night. The Warriors trail 3-2 and are trying to become just the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit. Thompson's shot that rocked Golden State's world, singlehandedly changed the momentum of that game. The Thunder did NOT want to get on that flight back out to the Bay Area. History proved why. I'll keep silent about the next chapter of this story...a different team, who also came back from a 3-1 deficit.

These are but a bit of my favorite moments from sports in 2016, and there are literally hundreds more. There are folks who left the game: Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Peyton Manning and David Ortiz among others, and those who left us (again, future posting). I do not want to deny that 2016 has been incredibly challenging. The world has seen some dark days—too many—but for all our readiness to put 2016 in the books, I urge you—before you do—raise a glass to the miracles that unfolded before our eyes. Thank you sports.

Photo Credits
Simpsons
LeBron
Nova

Far-Sighted and Near-Sighted Vision in Sports

At my recent eye exam, I was reminded that our vision changes because our eyes do. My right eye is very weak and has a stigmatism. My left eye is much stronger but in the past few years has degenerated from 20/30 vision to 20/50. How I wish I was like my friend who discovered she was over-corrected in her prescription for contacts. Her sight was blurred because the change in her eyes made her vision stronger. Her words made me think about what else makes our vision stronger. Recent events in the wide world of sports has given me plenty of examples beyond good health, a healthy diet of carrots and dark, leafy greens, hydration, and limited sun exposure. Life experiences, age and wisdom each influence add to the mix.

Our Passions
I always tell my students that (most) everyone knows how to run, but not everyone is a runner. I query, When does someone become a runner? Some shy from labels, but I believe it's a question of identity, one of commitment and understanding. I write this because I now consider myself to be a golfer. 

When I joined the Olympic Club in 2013, my commitment to the game got a significant boost. I've been a long time fan of the PGA and the Majors are among my favorite sporting events. But sometime in the past year, something clicked. Perhaps it was my losing that raw fear of the game—not knowing if I would make regular contact with that 1.6" ball but I've witnessed a shift. And my new identity was revealed  in one of the most unlikely places: baseball.

I've attended hundreds of baseball games in my life. A loyal San Francisco Giants fan since my youth, I've seen a lot, including the cycle, but playing golf has changed how I see contact in the game. I have a much more accurate sense of how far the ball will travel, where it may draw or fade, how the wind will affect where it will land in the outfield, or beyond. My new vision caught me by surprise, a pleasant one. 

Playing on the Lakeside course on Sunday, my friend and I were paired with a Father-Son duo. I looked at the son and knowingly asked, "did you play baseball?" I enjoyed watching his ball with that perspective in mind.

What we are passionate can't help but color how we see other aspects of our life. Pay attention to what carries over.

Empathy
Millions of people struggle with back pain. I am now one of them.

As a runner, I always had a fair amount of lower back pain. The pounding of the pavement isn't just hard on one's knees. But last year, I did something to my right lumbar (?) and now ice, Alleve, Ibuprofen and stretching are a regular part of my daily life. When I first hurt it, at times it was so bad that it was hard to stand, sleep, and obviously, play golf. 

With time, rest and ice, the pain diminished—but every now and then it recurs. I lost a lot of golf but I gained empathy. I came to understand how people can become addicted to pain killers, to alcohol (it certainly cut the pain), and can get depressed. It should be of little surprise that  was reminded of that struggle when I watched Andre Igoudala during Game 6 of the NBA Finals. 

As written for SI.com

Early in the game, Iguodala had his back worked on during a timeout, and was forced to leave the game for a short period. He returned, but was seen hobbling on the floor. Still, he remained in the contest.

My respect and admiration for Iggy is sky-high. His defense against LeBron in the 2015 Finals is what led to the Warriors victory and his MVP award. But I also knew what a back injury does and as much as he wanted to give more, the body had other plans in mind.

Far-Sighted vs. Near Sighted
For some reason, my ability to see where her golf ball lands drives my friend Lisa crazy. She has said more than once "you don't even look and you know where it is." What she doesn't realize is that I am far-sighted. I can barely read the type face in Sports Illustrated these days and yet, I can see her golf ball sail 180 yards down the fair way with ease. 

It's tough to gauge how each one of us sees the world. We each carry a bias and as a sports fan, I try to balance by subjective point of view with an objective outlook—or to relate it to vision, I seek to consider a near-sighted view with a far-sighted one. We gain from each.

I write this because I am a LeBron James fan. Apart from "The Decision," I can't figure out a reason not to be. A four-time MVP in the NBA, James is an incredible athlete and competitor. Honestly, I won't even waste the time or effort to make a case for LeBron....I'll let his body of work speak for itself. But in the NBA Finals, my vision has helped me see something I don't like: LeBron's behavior on the court is increasingly more unsportsmanlike.

I know the pressure is on. No one wants another title, and one for NorthEast Ohio in the way James does, but with each additional game, as his reaction to calls, the way he is going after certain players and the refs leaves me unimpressed. In the 4th quarter of Game 6, he went after Steph, and my brother, who plays a lot of street basketball to this day, admitted what LeBron did was a "punk move." Warrior fans have created a mime about LeBron crying more that Riley Curry. It's funny because the cutie pie Riley is wearing Ray Ban aviators...and because it's more true than not.

I am aware that Steph was thrown out of the game because upon being charged for his sixth foul of the game he threw his mouthpiece. My far sighted vision sees that as comical. Up close, it's not much different.

C.S. Lewis had it right when he said, “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” Our passions, life challenges, our gut instincts shape how we see what we see. Ultimately, our vision changes and will continue to change....because we do

Go Dubs

Photo Credits
Steph and LeBron
Iggy: from SI.com article

Rule #1 for Taking the High Road

As tempting as it is, I am not writing a "Dear LeBron" letter or an open one to King James. The purpose of this posting is to reflect upon one of my favorite ideals, one that I call my athletes and own self to time and again: taking the high road.

With every action, there is a reaction. We choose how we will respond to a question, a challenge, a problem or in LeBron's case, name calling. When we succeed it's hard to contain our enthusiasm and keep the celebration far from excessive. At other times, it's not easy to let emotions of anger, frustration and disgust get the best of us—especially when prodded or provoked. Thus, when given the choice, we ought to take the high road or as Ron Burgundy would have it, "stay classy." 

Though scripture does not mention "the high road" and why good people must take it, in Saint Paul's letters he urges the people of Corinth to "strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gift, the Way of Love. But I shall show you a more excellent way" or as the Notre Dame Folk Choir sings it, "to set your heart on the higher gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:31)

Some spiritual gifts are better than others, some pathways are straighter, narrower and higher. So when we set our sights on greater gifts or choose to take the higher road, we are exercising the virtue of love. Love has many iterations; no wonder the Greeks have so many words for it. And for me to try to connect taking the higher road as an act of love to what transpired in the NBA Finals feels like a stretch—a big one. It's an emotional game. This is the final series. Competitive greats love the game, but they love winning (maybe even more!). Hence the conflict between LeBron James and Draymond Green on the hardwood.

And this is what LeBron had to say about it in his post-game interview—a series of questions and answers in response to comments made by Green's teammate, Klay Thompson. The Yahoo interview includes the transcript

LEBRON JAMES: I’m not going to comment on what Klay said, because I know where it can go from this sit-in. It’s so hard to take the high road. I’ve been doing it for 13 years. It’s so hard to continue to do it, and I’m going to do it again.At the end of the day, we’ve got to go out and show up and play better tomorrow night; and if we don’t, then they’re going to be back-to-back champion, and that’s it.But I’ve taken the high road again.

I think it's important to take the high road, I think it's critical for coaches to model this and for players to choose it. However, in order to take the high road, one must know a little bit about what that means. Love has something to do with it and yes, focusing on our spiritual gifts does too, but I'm pretty sure that one of the primary rules about taking the higher road is that you don't tell others you are taking it. One need not mention how difficult it is or for how long you have been taking it. Defeats the point, no?

Here is where I find a much stronger connection to Scripture. When Jesus taught about Giving Alms and how to pray, He said the following in Matthew 6:1-8:

[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites* do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.   

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

LeBron, you played a remarkable game last night. The Warriors lost to your team because you and your teammate Kyrie Irving were unstoppable with 41 points each. But I'm not convinced you took the high road in Game 4 (personally I think you deserved a flagrant). 

And, I believe the people of Cleveland, happy as they are to have you back, would sincerely question if you have taken the high road for the past 13 years. In the article "I'm Coming Home" you wrote, "Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys and Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it over again, I'd obviously do things differently, but I'd still have left." Taking the high road involves not just what you do, but how you do it. Though Miami confirmed you were a champion, the road you took to get there was a low one.

The road of the NBA Finals heads back to Cleveland, known as the "Mistake on the Lake" and the "armpit of the United States." And yet the most recent "3o for 30 documentary" refers to it as something else: Believeland.  

Thank you LeBron for helping me believe not only what we are called to do, but how we should do it. 

Photo Credits

Klay post game
LeBron and Day Day
High Road

What You Say, What You Do AND How You Make People Feel

Maya Angelou once wrote, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." With all due respect to the late poet, I would like to politely disagree. 

“One of the potential spiritual lessons
of sports comes in its ability to connect 
people–to each other as well as to a
team of strangers.” —Dr. Michael Tino

As a teacher, I work very hard so that my students will remember what I say. Or rather, not what I said, but what great authors, theologians, poets and artists and in my course, athletes have spoken or written for us to hear. I also think it invaluable that they know—again—not only what I did, but what their peers, mentors, coaches and heroes have done. Feelings are not facts. They are important, but they can also be wrong. 

However, what I believe Ms. Angelou was pointing to is the power of an encounter. The ability for one person to connect to another should not be underestimated. When we treat the other with respect and kindness, when we listen and seek to understand, we can't help but appreciate and remember that action. 

In a recent project, I was struck my how many of my students recalled the importance of the Golden Rule. As Matthew 7:12 states, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. This is the law and the prophets." I was also moved by what they identified as important and memorable from our course readings. So here's a display of what people have said...what they have done...and from that, I guess you'll get a sense of how it makes them feel. Enjoy

“I said to coach, ‘I was a 7-foot high jumper in high school, why don’t I go over the top'?"—Bo Jackson (ESPN Films:  You Don't Know Bo)

We must recognize that narratives matter. —The National Catholic Review

“Soccer was the best way I knew to be a part of a community” —Nick Pugliese

The 2015 MVP

"During peak experiences,  one finds connectedness with the universe around us-sometimes one is overwhelmed with that sense of being part and parcel of a vast and wondrous creation....I thought of women's basketball."

Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. –Eric Liddell

“We are part of a universe, that part has become conscious of itself,
wherin everything yearns for something beyond just itself." —Ron Rolheiser

Photo Credits
Thank you to my seniors, Class of 2015!