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enlivening editorial accompanying
Dr. Ball's report,
Medica/ World
News
told its doctor readers:
"Doctors should not stand by
silently in the face of the relent–
less pressure parents and coaches
place on young athletes. Driving
youngsters to become sports
superstars can result in psycholog–
ical damage and serious physical
injury. Overdoing any sport can
produce painful musculoskeletal
problems that will plague young–
sters for the rest of their lives."
Dr. Thomas Tutko, professor of
psychology at California State
University, San Jose, warns that
the philosophy of professional
sports (win-or-you're nothing) has
filtered down to permeate all
sports. He says: "Kids' athletic
programs are doing a tragic dis–
service to America when they
emulate the win-or-else creed of
big league sports.... The empha–
sis should be on doing one's
best. ... The champion is glori–
fied. He can do no wrong. Tbe
losers can't be tolerated. But this
isn't the way life is. This is a
grotesque distortion and it ad–
versely affects youngsters who are
continually exposed to such a phi–
losophy. If they try their best in a
sports event and lose they feel
they're no good. They're made to
feel rejected. They are, in fact,
rejected by a lot of coaches and
parents who sometimes try to hide
their disappointment, but you
don ' t fool too many kids."
These are not the only contem–
porary criticisms of sports. There
remain other concerns: the grow–
ing violence among both players
and spectators, the obsession with
sports, the scandals of recruiting
and the resulting distortion in the
minds of athletes who no longer
see themselves in true perspec–
tive.
We can safely say that sports can
be very beautiful or very ugly and
anything in between.
Teaching T rue Values in Sports
For sports to be beautiful there
must be a recognition by all con–
cerned of
the
major purpose of
sports. That major purpose is
to
teach and insti/1 true values and
proper altitudes
in those who par–
ticipate.
lt
is a vital part of the
26
educational process.
Jf
we lose sight
of that fact, we open ourselves up
for much trouble.
Courage:
Sports provide a ready–
made environment for teacbing
real-life experiences. The first
major value of sports that should be
stressed is courage. Courage is a
quality of mind that enables one to
meet difficulties with firmness and
resolution.
A few months ago, the city of
Indianapolis was host to the
National Sports Festival. Another
of the touching and memorable
moments that happen quite often in
sports occurred. Randy Harvey,
staff writer for the Los Angeles,
California,
Times
tells the story:
"As the National Sports Festival's
platform diving champion, Greg
Louganis did not have to share bis
moment with anyone. But during
the awards ceremony Sunday, he
put his arm around runner-up
Bruce Kimball's waist and lifted
him from the second leve! to the
top of the victory leve!. While a
standing-room-only crowd of more
than 5,000, the largest ever to see a
diving event in the United States,
gave them a standing ovation, they
stood side by side, their hands
linked and raised triumphantly over
their heads and cried. "
Why did Greg Louganis perform
such a touching act? Because he
knew that a little more than nine
months ago doctors were not sure
that Bruce Kimball would live,
much less compete again.
On October 18, 1981, a woman
driving a van crossed the dividing
line on an Ann Arbor (Michigan)
highway and slammed head on
into Kimball's automobile. Kim–
ball was rushed to tbe emergency
room, where he underwent 24
hours of surgery. To continue
Randy Harvey's account: "Every
bone in his face was broken. His
skull was fractured. His leg was
broken. Ligaments in his knee
were torn. His liver was lacerated.
His spleen had to be removed. He
went into the hospital with 140
pounds on his 5-9 frame and carne
out weighing 105. His leg was in a
cast for 12 weeks. His jaw was
wired shut for 1
O.
He ate his food
through a straw."
Greg Louganis wanted everyone
present that day in Indianapolis to
know that he considered Bruce
Kimball to be a champion too. To
dare, to risk, to accept the chal–
lenge, to display the courage of a
Bruce Kimball is one of the great
benefits to be derived from
sports.
Endurance:
Sports, witb its real–
life environment, provides for the
development of endurance, of per–
severance, of never giving up. It's
easy to give up, especially when
behind or when the odds are great
against you. We all admire and
respect the person who tenaciously
hangs in there despite the odds till
the race is over or the game has
ended. The individual trained to
play the game this way is very like–
ly to approach life in the same fash–
ion. Endurance is, in fact, one of
the seven laws for success in any
field of endeavor.
The Creator God values the
attribute of enduring- so much so
that he once carne to this eartb,
appeared in the form of a man, and
engaged in a wrestling match with
the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. As a
result of Jacob's endurance and
tenacity in this match, the Creator
God blessed him and changed bis
name to Israel- meaning one who
prevails witb God. Let 's read the
account of this inspiring experience
in Genesis 32:24-28: "And Jacob
was left alone; and there wrestled a
man [he is identified as God in
verse 30] with him until the break–
ing of tbe day. And when he saw
that be prevailed not against him,
he touched [with force] the hollow
of his thigh; and the hollow of
Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he
wrestled with him. And he said,
Let me go, for the day breaketh.
And be [Jacob] said, I will not let
thee go, except thou bless me. And
he said unto him, What is thy
name? And he said, Jacob. And he
said, Thy name shall be called no
more Jacob, but Israel: for as a
prince hast thou power with God
and with men, and hast pre–
vailed."
In this moving experience Jacob
endured in the enervating and gruel–
ing sport of wrestling from sometime
during the night till the break of day.
By comparison, modern day wres–
tling matches consist of three rounds
of three minutes each for nine min–
utes of exhaustive wrestling. On this
The PLAIN TRUTH