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Friends and rivals
He went on to elaborate that it was a common practice for them to host people whose loyalties tended to be with their opponents in their home on football weekends, including two weeks ago when a number of their guest were wearing the orange of Tennessee. In concluding his response he jokingly quipped that if Alabama won the game they would feed all their guest but if they lost, those whose loyalties lie elsewhere were on their own. For some strange reason that not only caught my attention but prompted me to think about something we all need to remember. Possibly it was the fact that amid all the hoopla and build up surrounding the big football game between Alabama and LSU, there is someone like Terry Saban who wasn't going to let such distractions keep her from doing what she needed to do to be a gracious host. Or maybe it was the subtlety of Nick Saban intentionally or unintentionally letting us know that his post game guest list wasn't just limited to those who wear crimson but included friends who may be rivals but are still just friends in the big scheme of things. In this world we live in today sports have taken on a life of their own and loyalties to a par- ticular sport team have often become an obsession. In some respects it is a good thing that people can become passionate about something like sports which for the most part are wholesome activities. That is particularly true when we consider some of the other things that people often get involved in which are not only not wholesome but are unethical, illegal or detrimental to their health. With that said however we all need to realize that sports sometimes can be taken too seriously. There have been occasions where misguided loyalties have ended friendships or in some cases even divided families to the extent that some members refuse to have anything to do with others in the family. That's not to say anyone competing in a particular sport shouldn't give it a 100 % effort but merely to remind them that their participation is not a matter of life or death and all those they are competing against should be respected. The same goes for the supporters. By all means anyone who calls themselves a loyal supporter of a sports team, regardless of the level, needs to give their support fully and unconditionally. Genuine supporters aren't what I like to call 'fair weather friends', who show their support only when things are going well but people who will be there through the good times and the bad. They too should respect their counterparts who chose to support their opponents. The problem comes in when we fail to remember that regardless of the sport or importance of any one contest when all is said and done it is still only a game. I know that when you are on the winning side that is a lot easier to remember than when your team has put forth its best effort and still comes up short. I also know that there are some on the winning side who for whatever reason, seem to make it their life's mission to remind those who lose of their failures. In those cases it is best to consider the source and be sure that we don't become like them. Wouldn't it be nice if we all had the capacity to give our all for our team whether competing or supporting and then when it's all over, win or lose, be a friend to our friend regardless of where each of our loyalties lie.
Until next time . . . be safe!
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