I had the opportunity to go to today’s BYU vs. Air Force basketball game in Provo. It was a great game as I got to sit and watch pre-season All-American Jimmer Fredette play and live up to the hype that surrounds him. As I sat there and enjoyed quality basketball, it wasn’t basketball stats or a bevy of 3-point shots that went through my head, but rather it was the simple beauty of sports. Names like Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. crossed my mind, Cal Ripken and Cal Ripken Jr., Bobby and Barry Bonds, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. I couldn’t help but think of the relationships that those father-son combos have.
I was privileged to be at the game and to sit next to Jimmer Fredette’s family. It was an awesome experience for me as I got to hear his parents urge him on throughout the duration of the entire game, as I got to listen to his older brother coach, and pull hard for his little brother to succeed. As I sat there next to my own father for this experience, I couldn’t help but have a little moment as I realized that this is what sports were all about.
Sports, whatever the sport may be, have the ability to build relationships that other things can’t do. It can be that ‘common ground’ that fathers try to find with their teenage son. Or, like Mohammed and Laila Ali, the ‘common ground’ between a father and daughter. Sports that can help us become close with those who surround us.
The beauty of sports is there is no talent required to build these relationships. You don’t have to be a professional athlete in order to reach the level of bond that some the people I’ve previously mentioned share. As I sat there with the Fredette family, it struck me that how normal they were. They are every day looking people, they don’t have immaculate size or anything along those lines, they looked like any other person that was sitting in the Marriott Center. But when their son stepped on the court, there was an instant bond. Jimmer looked to his father when bad calls were made, when a few shots didn’t fall, it was his father that was the first to stand on his feet and say “Come on Jimmer! Keep shooting!” The bond that those two shared was incredible to witness.
That’s the beauty of sports; they are always there for us. It doesn’t matter how much knowledge a player has, they can always turn to their father for instruction. A relationship that has always intrigued me is between Chipper Jones and his father. Chipper has been surrounded by baseball geniuses his entire career, but when he is going through a slump, the first person that he calls is his dad. He will go take some batting practice with his dad and receive tips on how to fine tune his swing. Why does Chipper go to his dad? It’s not because his dad is a baseball super genius, but because of the bond that those two have grown between each other over the years. It truly is incredible the power that sports have.
As we start the new year, it is my hope that everyone can experience a little bit of the bond that comes from a true love of sports. Whether it be a father coaching a son, or a father/son combo playing together on the same team, or (like I frequently enjoy) a dad taking a son to a ball game, or even just sitting around the TV and watching SportsCenter’s Top Plays at the end of a work day, let us all enjoy the power that comes from sports.
No comments:
Post a Comment