Top Moments in Sports History are...MAGNIFICENT

This week, "Rocky"—the first of three sports movies to have earned the Academy Award for Film of the Year—turned 40. My dad was lucky enough to see it at the theater. Asking him about it at Thanksgiving, he said, "Rocky grew in popularity. I went and saw it solo, I guess because your sister was a newborn. As the training montage was unfolding, I realized I was seeing something very special. I remember exiting the theater and thinking—Wow, I just saw something great." 

Happy 40th

Perhaps you have had a similar realization. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to grasp that something remarkable is unfolding in the moment. Other times, we understand—after the fact—that we were a witness to excellence. Such events are why we are drawn to live performances—a concert, a play, a speech, or an athletic contest. We are hoping to get a taste of greatness. It is succulent....it's tremendously gratifying. It sustains us long after; its memory is sweet.

On Tuesday, November 22 sitting in McCullough Gymnasium at St. Ignatius College Prep, I felt as though I were a part of one of the top moments in SI sports history, both during the game itself and thereafter. The varsity girls volleyball team defeated Campolindo in the Nor-Cal semifinals on Drucker Court (3-1). Though these girls have played in many exciting games, the energy of this particular match-up was unlike others. I give credit to a loud and proud student section, the timing of the game—the night before a holiday break, the winter temperatures outside offset by the warmth of the gym and the SI family and most importantly: the sheer talent, raw athleticism, strength, power, agility and grace of the volleyball teams. The sum of these parts made for an incredible contest. 

I remember looking at the girls on the court and thinking St Irenaeus had it right:

The glory of God is the human person fully alive. 

Those athletes—using their gifts and talents, battling back from a deficit in the lynchpin game (#3), their coaches, their spirit, their hops—they are a manifestation of that great glory. They have never been so alive...and we were too as we witnessed their feat.

I believe the best word to describe such moments in sports, cinematic, theatrical or music history, is "magnificent."  I attribute that realization to Richard Gaillardetz who described what we see, feel and know in his essay "For the Love of the Game." In it, he writes:

The ability of the dedicated athletes to develop and pursue excellence through training and commitment is not unrelated to the larger call to growth as human persons. Let us return, to Thomas Aquinas who described the virtue of magnificence. Magnificence refers to the accomplishment of greatness. It is realized whenever a person makes the most of their God-given gifts. According to Thomas the opposite of magnificence is the vice of parvificence, often rendered in English as meanness. Meanness here does not convey the contemporary sense of the word, suggesting some malicious action, but rather it refers to one who makes too little use of their gifts or abilities. Through the pursuit of excellence in any and every sphere of life, we strive to become the person God invites us to be. Andrew Cooper reflects on the connection between the pursuit of excellence and the appreciation of sports as a craft:

By investing an activity with one's dedication, aspiration, discipline, skill and knowledge, one's identity is linked to it. In some indefinable way, part of one's self is in the work. Through craftsmanship, a sport becomes an expression of the athlete's total self and the means by which the self recognizes its own excellence.

I dare say, we need these moments, for they connect us to one another and something much larger...the source of it all. When we are a witness to magnificence, we can't hold it for ourselves. We have to share it. Excellence begets excellence....magnificence begets magnificence.

My favorite part of this past Thanksgiving was after the meal, my mom, dad, sister and I sat down to play a game called "Sequence." My sister put down a marker and I said "take it back." The next thing I know she sings "Take You Back" and without missing a beat I said "do-do-do-do Take You back." It's the ditty that some of Rocky's friends sing on a down and out street corner in South Philly. They are gathered around the fire, they have a great voices, it's got good beat...and it's why we started discussing my dad's experience of seeing the movie 40 years prior. 

It's just one small part of what makes "Rocky" great...the magnificence of the musical score by Bill Conti punctuated by do-wop on the street corner. During the volleyball game on Tuesday, I looked at the coach, standing alone...standing quietly as his athletes did all the work. It's noticing the big moments and the small ones along the way but make a good contest, much more than great....it's magnificent.

Photo Credits
Girls VB: Thank you Paul Totah!
Rocky and Adrian

Sports Can Provide: "A Little of that Human Touch"

I have no idea if you work place is anything like mine. But since the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, something has changed. Colleagues are excited, hopeful, even joyful when speaking about the Church leadership. A small part of me keeps waiting for the shoe to drop, but for now I will enjoy the ride. It's been a nice change of pace.

Case in point, one of the "resident critics" had us gather around his computer to watch a video clip entitled "Pope descended Pope mobile to bless disabled man before Inagural Mass." He pressed replay with tears in his eyes.  We saw the Holy Father go out of his way, much to the dismay of his security team, to meet a severely disabled man.  When Pope Francis reaches him, he kisses his forehead and touches his shoulder to their mutual delight. The Pope exchanges words with the man's caregiver and he returns again to this man and blesses him. 

I wondered why I was so moved by something so simple.  I decided it was time I take off the rose colored glasses I've been wearing with this new papacy and revisit my question.  What is the big deal? Why was my heart bursting?  

I've said it once and I'll say it again, or Springsteen will (excuse me!) "It's a little of that Human Touch."

For the first few years of our lives, we are enveloped by it.  We are held, passed from family member to family member--hugged and kissed, loved and blessed.  I remember with great fondness one uncle who always said to my sister and me, "I love my nieces to pieces" as he tortured us with affection.  As we grow older, how we express affection changes and during our teenage years, it is tricky.  

Adolescence is a time when young men and women who want love and affection have difficulty figuring out how they can express it.
Girls have a little more liberty in sharing hugs with one another and affection to their parents. For boys, its not a given. Sure, there are outliers and I can think of a a few special ones, like Brett.  Officially the "strongest man in the school" this linebacker ate the "750 lb. club" for lunch. For Brett, "Thou-Pow" was his main meal (that's a combined total of 1000 lbs between the dead lift, squat and bench press).  

He gave hugs to men and women, boys and girls.  His embrace was beloved.  It always brought a smile to the victim and the perpetrator.  But Brett stands out because albeit a wonderful and open expression of healthy affection, it was the exception—not the rule.  Was it safe for Brett to be openly affectionate with his peers because he was so comfortable in his own skin?  Yes. Would others be this way if they could?  I think so...  

Regardless, the question remains: Where are teens finding love, acceptance and affection? I realized it isn't in a way the media often portrays a drunken hook-up or only on prom night.  No--there's a very real place for high school males to openly share affection—and they are already doing it, perhaps without even knowing it. It's on the volleyball and basketball court, the football field, and even at the finish line. It's in sports.

I attended a varsity boys volleyball game on the same day I saw the aforementioned Papal video.  I never leave one of their games without some sort of impression or appreciation.  On this day, I noticed just how much "human touch" takes place on and off the court.  Guys are subbed in frequently; one won't leave the court without a high five to his teammate.  Good hits, bad hits, missed hits and winners all bring a number of guys to reach out to one another--knuckle tap, to a slap on the butt, a shoulder meet shoulder jump in the air, a low five or a high five.  They say we need "6 hugs a day and 12 for growth." This team is meeting their quota and going beyond.

I know this creates a bond among players; coaches are equally affectionate.  In a society that all too often knows affection in a way that has been compromised or exploited, this was a breath of fresh air. I applaud this team and their coaches for giving these young men a safe place to recreate, work toward a common goal and care for one another in the process.  I hope and pray they are one of many teams that offers the gift of love.

Many cultures express affection more comfortably and naturally than Americans do. It must be those Puritanical roots.  It reaches a deep human need. I was reminded of that need in watching Pope Francis.  He met a stranger with open arms. He was moved by his spirit enough to kiss, touch and bless him. He was responding to his humanity and a fundamental desire we all share—to love and to be loved. Sports teams at their best can offer a place for this to happen—with a little human touch.

Photo Credits
Pope Frances touches man
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Boys VB