Today is the very last day of the softball/baseball season in my house and I couldn't be happier. I am ALL DONE with it! It's not the fact that I will now be able to post again or have dinner as a family for the first time in two months that makes me so happy (well I'm not going to lie, that's part of it). Nope, it's the bad behavior that makes me glad to see the season end. And what's really sad is that, for the most part, it's not the kids but the adults. Throughout the course of this one season I have heard some ridiculous stuff, including but not limited to: umpires swearing on the field, and coaches saying (without one trace of irony), "don't they realize this is the second game of the semifinals of the Major League Playoffs?" Um, hello they are 10-12 years old. I love sports and that's why this stuff bugs me so much. Adults need to stop corrupting youth sports with their behavior and win at all costs mentality.
I am not a huge hockey fan but I have always said that Lord Stanley's Cup is hands down the best trophy in sports. The passion and commitment the players show in pursuit of it, and the emotions they display after winning it are unmatched in any other sport. I also love the sportsmanship of hockey. It's the only professional sport where the players line up and shake hands with the other team at the end of the series - no matter how hard-fought. Youth sports also ends with the kids lining up to shake hands, but sadly, the behavior of some adults involved doesn't always convey a sense of sportsmanship.
Sports has the unique capacity to inspire, entertain and unite us. The Boston Bruins' recent Stanley Cup run is a perfect example. The Vancouver Canucks were heavily favored to win it all but in the end what it boiled down to was really a triumph of team (and the hot goalie) over talent. It inspired this reaction from some people who truly understand what passion, commitment and teamwork are all about (my cousin's unit in Afghanistan).
I am not a huge hockey fan but I have always said that Lord Stanley's Cup is hands down the best trophy in sports. The passion and commitment the players show in pursuit of it, and the emotions they display after winning it are unmatched in any other sport. I also love the sportsmanship of hockey. It's the only professional sport where the players line up and shake hands with the other team at the end of the series - no matter how hard-fought. Youth sports also ends with the kids lining up to shake hands, but sadly, the behavior of some adults involved doesn't always convey a sense of sportsmanship.
Sports has the unique capacity to inspire, entertain and unite us. The Boston Bruins' recent Stanley Cup run is a perfect example. The Vancouver Canucks were heavily favored to win it all but in the end what it boiled down to was really a triumph of team (and the hot goalie) over talent. It inspired this reaction from some people who truly understand what passion, commitment and teamwork are all about (my cousin's unit in Afghanistan).
