The Community, Integrity and Trust of Sports

You only get to community through trust, and you only get to trust through integrity. 

This picture speaks to me on so many levels, and not just because I am a MKE Bucks fan.
There is the obvious:

• The leader is knocked to the floor in the heat of the game.  His team mates check on him and help him to get back on his feet.
• A feeling of strength emanates from this photo.  Of course, the muscles of each player are pronounced as they lift their team mate from the floor.  But there is also the strength of team and camaraderie.  
• There is a work ethic here.  The game isn’t over, the job isn’t done.  Let’s get up and let’s get to it.  Let’s finish what we started.  Together. 

I understand this picture also shows four multi-millionaires playing a game in a $500 Million arena which was partially subsidized by working class taxpayers.  And, that the players have strong contract incentives to pull together as a team so each one can make more money if the Bucks win the NBA Championship.

I also realize there are 17,000 fans in the arena and 25,000 fans outside in the Deer District, and millions of fans across the world cheering for their team each time a basket is scored.  If you are a fan, the price tag of the player or the arena is meaningless.  If you are a fan, its about projecting your desires and spirit into the success of the team.  It is about “your” team representing you or “your” city.  It’s about community.

I admit that I am a sports fan, especially football, basketball and hockey.  I don’t know if that is very Quakerly or not, but I’ve watched the best part of sports bring out the best part of people; both players and fans. 

For our two youngest children, sports was a big part of their growing up, and in their personal and emotional development.  I used to tease that our youngest daughter never saw a sport that she didn’t like.  She played soccer, baseball, fast pitch softball, volleyball, basketball (which was her first love) and she ran cross-country track.  She grew up in a neighborhood of all boys, so if she wanted to play – she had to come ready to play hard and to play her best.  I coached her soccer team which was co-ed.  In our final season, we were 7-1 wins over losses.  And we got there because we had a “secret weapon” which was a core of four girls who all had older brothers.  These four girls learned – from competing with their brothers – how to give as good as they got; how to not back down; how to give your personal best each and every game.

When done right, sports is about building community: the community of the team and the support of the geographic region which the team represents.  But perhaps even more importantly, sports is about becoming the best person one can possibly be.  That’s how I justify being a Quaker who is a sports fan. 
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From my perspective as a fan, as a coach, and as a competitor, sports is about community, and trust, and integrity.  If each player’s goal is to reach his/her personal best and to give that best each and every time they step into the arena, then they will win the trust of their fellow team mates and they will contribute to a strong sense of team or of community.

You only get to community through trust, and you only get to trust through integrity.  That’s what I see in this picture:  Community, trust, and integrity.  Go Bucks!