On the Winning Side - or Not

No, I’m not focusing on the recent Mendocino County's District Attorney election, in case my headline reflects ballot blues (well, maybe a little). As Albert Einstein said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Don’t know if that makes Keith Faulder feel any better, but he related to me some positive words a couple of days following the election - when he could’ve been “down” for the count.
Though his unsuccessful campaign was brief (compared to his main opponent), Assistant District Attorney Faulder paid the people of Mendocino County huge compliments. Since his career puts him more often in the path of those detained or accused of alleged crimes, he rarely spends much time in the company of such large groups of dedicated, upstanding citizens who respect his position. He enjoyed that immensely.
Faulder ran the race, he said, to “have the opportunity to pay back the people of this county for all the years of training and confidence” they’ve invested in him. Maybe next round, Keith.
“It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” We say that about politics, yes, but for many across the globe, this famous sport philosophy is played out – or not – on fields and courts where physical prowess reigns. Could you or your parent be called a “good sport” or does ump-blasting and tongue-lashing brand you as a “bad sport?”
Only the tragic or shocking news stories ever make the big headlines, but there are a lot of “bad sports” who are reported to the National Association of Sporting Officials. You can check out some of the sordid details on this webpage: http://www.naso.org/sportsmanship/badsports.html.
In our local news, a positive headline on a recent sports page was balm to the injured eyes…Our local South Valley Falcons won the City of Ukiah High School Division basketball championship, thanks to a motivated group of young men.
In only their second season, this team has no gym or covered practice area – and with new coach Chris Miller coming onboard just three days before the first game, they were able to beat the odds. Theirs was a perfect season with 11-0. Kudos, guys! The rest of us should be inspired.
For students in need of good role models, healthy exercise or fair competition, being on a team like this is priceless. Too much negative rumblin’ has been souring the pool of young people in our area. Wearing red or blue on some of our streets can produce anything but a patriotic response. Unfortunately, several of my high school English students are riding the thin line that keeps them out of the jailhouse or the coffin. It’s sad.
A local home where friends were mourning the death of a recently shot twenty-year-old (whose “blues” have been rumored) was allegedly pelted with beer bottles hurled by young men “seeing red,” you might say. A concerned mother witnessed this and confided to me. Not even a hint of respect.
What makes it worse is the young man’s death involved local law enforcement rather than street enemies. How can this loss of young life not sadden the hearts of other young lives, no matter what color they wear?
Maybe we need to put every teen on a team of some game, proud of their “color” and play against each other with onlookers, coaches and umpires. It’s been said that as a species we still need to satisfy that hunter/gatherer role…win the prize to take home. But, there’s not a safe, legitimate way for all of us to do that now.
Some have parlayed the “good sport” philosophy into a more universal application, like Australia’s Social Justice Commissioner Dr. Bill Jonas did in his 1999 speech at a Sport and Human Rights Conference down under.
“We need to ask ourselves, first, what exactly is it about sport that we would wish to transfer to social and civil life? I want briefly to suggest two reasons…Firstly, sport is an arena where competition is governed by the rule of law. The laws are in general respected and…enforceable.”
Jonas’ second reason resonated with me as I read the papers and scoured online while monitoring the Masters Golf Tournament (had to watch Tiger – a good role model). We can take this lesson from Dr. Jonas and put it to good use in our justice halls, on our basketball courts and in our neighborhoods:
“Secondly, let me draw attention to the geometrical configuration of the Olympic symbol. Five circles of equal size yet of different colour; circles that overlap yet remain distinct. A fitting symbol of equality and difference. In sport, competitors start out at the same point - they are given equal opportunity.”
That should be our goal. We need to do more to move everyone up to the same starting point and give everyone a chance to win. Otherwise, we all lose.