SPORTS SHOULD STAY SPORTS

In today’s wildly opinionated climate it is not uncommon to see players and fans mixing their sports with a little bit of everything. Whether it’s politics, social issues, personal morals, or standards of behavior, it seems as though someone always wants to stain the purity that makes sports great.

To be clear, this article is not about taking a side or posting an opinion on any of the issues that have been discussed on the platform sports provides. This article is about appreciating an athlete for the way that they play the sport you enjoy, and not their social media opinions.

HUMANS ARE IMPERFECT

Social media and the internet have created a culture where people are expected to be perfect. That just isn’t realistic. People make mistakes, they change, they grow. Not to mention that the goal posts of social acceptance are constantly moving, but for whatever reason, we don’t seem to consider that when passing judgement on something an athlete did or didn’t do as a teenager.  

It would be unfortunate if we were all judged by our absolute worst moments, our worst comment, our least funny joke, or any other metric that shows us in our worst light. Take a minute and be honest with yourself. What is the worst thing you have ever said? What is the most embarrassing or inappropriate thing you have ever done? 

Take a second to really think about that… 

Now imagine that every single person you meet from this point forward has audio of what you said, or has seen a video of your actions. How would that affect your life? If you are really being honest with yourself there is an outstanding chance that the outcome from those things is not a positive one.

So why do we continue to attempt to hold athletes to such a high standard of excellence? Throwing a ball well, running fast, or having a skill that most humans do not possess should not also require you to be perfect in every aspect of your personal life.

APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF SPORTS

The nice thing about sports is that the game doesn’t care who you are, what you do, or what your personal beliefs are. The game cares about skill, execution, and how hard a person is willing to work for the outcome they desire.

Sports serves as an escape for people, so they can relax and enjoy time watching something that the real world doesn’t spoil…or shouldn’t. If we continue down the path that we are on, it surely will however.

As we wait for sports to return, we should all take some time to reflect on how much we miss and appreciate sports. Not for the amount of drama they can create for our entertainment on social media, but rather for the beauty and purity of the game. Our escape, our enjoyment.