“[T]he finish line is sometimes merely the symbol of victory. All sorts of personal triumphs take place before that point, and the outcome of the race may actually be decided long before the end.” – Laurence Malone
Sports; they are a vibrant and entertaining part of campus life. Sports have the power to make us cheer, curse, cry and celebrate. It can be very entertaining and can sometimes be wrongly placed on a pedestal. Sports give us rags to riches stories, stories of sacrifice and other human-interest pieces. However, at the end of the day, all of us have to recognize while a sport has entertainment and human-interest value, it is just a game.
I know some of you might be shocked by that statement, especially coming from the Sports Editor of The University News, but that is what sports is, just a game. Make no mistake, I love sports and will attend as many games as possible as the sports editor, but I recognize that sports are just simply a part of the greater community that makes up Saint Louis University.
There are a few exceptions to this such as the 1966 NCAA National Championship game, between Texas Western and Kentucky, where Coach Dom Haskins started five black players against Adolph Rupp all white team; Jessie Owens winning four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany; and Mike Piazza hitting the first home run in a sporting event since 9/11. What is special about these events is that they were so much more than simply athletic events. They transcended sports, broke barriers and sought to heal a broken nation. However, these events come once in a blue moon and are not immediately recognize for their social, political, and other relevant implications.
Two sadder examples that I can think of which prove my point are: the departure of Rick Majerus for this season and the murder of former SLU volleyball player Megan Boken.
Rick Majerus has taken SLU to great heights and after last season, this year was supposed to our national coming-out party. However, at 5:00 p.m., on Friday August 24th, Bob Ramsey made the announced that Majerus was taking a leave of absence for the 2012-2013 season. And everything then changed.
The dreams of “what could be” for this basketball program came to a halt and were replaced by concerns for Majerus’ health and what happens now. Majerus is a beloved figure at SLU, he always acknowledges the students, and when students found out about his leave of absence the reactions varied from utter disbelief to some students sobbing. He always acknowledges the students at every press conference and they love him in return.
At this point, sports don’t matter; the health of Coach Majerus is what matters. What this means for this season and beyond is irrelevant at this point. We are speaking about a human being and his health; remember it is just a game.
Something that hits closer to home for SLU athletes is the death of Megan Boken. It was truly a shock to everyone at the campus.
Yes, Megan was a great volleyball player. However, her life will not be defined by the records that she set at SLU, but by the teammates, roommates, coaches and other people that she aided and impacted on and off the court. Volleyball is just one part of her story.
I spoke with her coach Anne Kordes, who is now at the University of Louisville. She described Megan as having a deep and boisterous laugh and an infectious personality which allowed her to develop deep personal connections with her teammates.
This is how her coach remembers Megan—not by her actions on the court, but the beautiful person that she was to her teammates, friends and family, not by the amount of digs or aces that she had at SLU.
Sports are just a part of someone’s life. The game is part just a small section of all the preparation that these athletes put into the game. These athletes are rarely going to remember individual games, but will remember the people, the coaches, and friends that they made along the way.
We also cannot let sports become too powerful in our lives because it can blind to more important things in life like your friends, your family, and this place that you call “home” for four years. All sports can be broken, what cannot be broken are the memories that you have with your teammates, coaches and friends.
Remember it is just a game, take it or leave it, and don’t make it more important than it should be.
