Recently, I attended a faculty award ceremony. There, the marquee award recipient graciously thanked the many folks that had inspired and encouraged her over the years. Several of these people that she thanked were coaches. As a result of their positive influence on her, she came to truly embrace the beauty of sport. As a convert to Catholicism, she appropriately found a quote by Pope Pius XII reflected her belief in sport.
"Sport,
properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous
loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual
penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical
development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man,
and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the
mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth
and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the
service and praise of his Creator."
- Pope Piux XII, Sport at the Service of the Spirit, July 29, 1945
This perspective on sport is quite appropriate considering the Sochi Winter Olympics currently underway. We may find ourselves getting caught up in the political and social elements of the games and how good or bad the conditions are for a city to host the games. While our concerns and perspectives should not go without recognition, let us please remember the athletes above all else. They are recognized on a worldwide scale only once every four years making these couple of weeks so important for them. Their efforts and stories certainly encompass Pius XII's definition of sport.
I'd like to leave you with a story from ESPN's Outside the Lines program. This story is about a small high school football team facing tremendous odds at success. This story contains social justice implications regarding immigration, just living wages, and access to education. With these in mind, enjoy this real life example of what Pius XII was talking about.
Mendota Football
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
