Politics and Sports....Too Bad the Former is not More Like the Latter Part I: Sportsmanship

Roger Federer and Randy Couture are/were tremendous competitors in their respective sports--but both were/are uncommonly humble and gracious in their pre- and post- match comments.  Both men displayed tremendously good sportsmanship in both victory and defeat....

Even though not a word of it was mentioned in our Church Service this morning--most everyone in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, The United States, and the entire world-- knows what today is:   Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  Even people who love college football but disavow the NFL know what game is on today.  Most of them will be watching it, too, even if they don't admit it.  The two best teams in the NFL will be playing a game and only one team will be victorious, earning the distinction as the best football team in the world.  It will be fun to watch-lots of friends, parties, good food, funny commercials, cheers, boos, yelling and screaming, halftime shows, and hopefully a good game to boot.

What the heck does this have to do with politics, though?

Nothing, really. 

But Politics is often described as a "blood sport."  "Brutal--not for the faint of heart"  is how I have heard it described.  It is brutal and it is most definitely a competition.

There are similarities.

But there are big differences, too.   Huge ones. 

It really is too bad that politics is not more like sports in some respects, though.

In sports, two opponents concentrate on beating their opponents on the field or on the court--it is not personal for the most part, it's just that the two opposing teams/participants want to win.  Before the match, there is a handshake typically.  Fighters touch gloves.  Then the competition happens and the outcome becomes the end of the intensity.  Then there typically is a handshake or a hug.  Baseball and Football teams from both sidelines/dugouts  often huddle up after the most intense of games and kneel down in mutual prayer.  It's called good sportsmanship.  It's common in sports, uncommon in politics.

You see, politics becomes personal.  It gets ugly.  It is irrational and the hatred just oozes from many that find themselves involved in tough "competitions." This is unfortunate.

Roger Federer, Peyton Manning, and Randy Couture are three of my favorite personalities from the world of sports.  They all are/were in tough competitions during their careers. Big Matches/Games/Fights--often with world championships on the line. They each won some and lost some--that's just the way it went.  But these men were humble in victory and gracious in defeat and that's what I see is missing a lot from politics.  No trash-talking before, just good sportsmanship before, intense, fierce competition during, and gracious, humble speeches after--and that really is how a lot of great sports figures operate.  It's how I want to be.  But it is hard.

I fall short so frequently in so many respects--just as many do---it's hard to even try to aspire to have the level of sportsmanship these three men (and many others) have displayed but I will say this:  With respect to sportsmanship and demeanor---I want to try to be the type of political competitor that Federer is as a tennis player, Couture was as a fighter, and Manning was as a Quarterback.  Respectful of the opponent, respectful of the game/sport, appreciative of the spectators/supporters, and gracious for the opportunity to play--humble when victorious and gracious if things don't go my way.  It ain't always easy to do this in politics, though.  😏

In some respects, it's too bad politics is not more like sports.