Having just moved to the USA I am going through a sporting renaissance of sorts, a chance to view sports which are completely new to me and seemihngly the opposite of what I have enjoyed in the past.
However, I have noticed whatever the sport, there is a common thread we all enjoy.
My favourite new sport is by far is ice hockey – or just hockey as they call it here. The absoluteness of the term belies the objectivity of the game.
Just as Shakespeare gave us quotes like “to break the ice”, hockey was the genesis of “edge of your seat”.
Every play is a scoring play, every move calculated and precise, each charge done at speed and aggression that is tough but fair, the margin is so small, scoring a goal is literally done with millimetres to spare on either side, every time.
Having seen this game close up, I love it, this game is great and I was inspired by watching it.
Sitting in the bar after the game got me thinking, each sport is different but what are the common traits we flock to?
After two burgers, three bowls of hot wings and two Budweisers, I came up with these three elements:
1. Boyish enthusiasm
People love watching people enjoy themselves. It is such a natural state for some, to truly love what they are doing.
The players people love to watch are the ones out there because they love the game. Mike Hussey is the one that springs to mind immediately.
Bill Lawry’s commentating, he still sounds like a six-year-old boy commentating a backyard game and we love that he loves it.
Jason Day at the Masters last year smiling as the Green Jacket slipped away, sure he wanted to win, but he loved trying.
Michael Jordan on the buzzer, stepping up time after time, not because he wanted the prize money, but because he loved playing and he played to win.
They and many more loved playing for the sake of the game.
The money and glitz that is nowadays associated with professional sport has not corrupted their love for the game
2. Skill
People love to be entertained and wowed and it goes without saying these guys and girls are good. I would however split this into two, and this is what sport does by way of revealing our inner selves.
There is a physical element, best summarised with the Olympic motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ (Faster, Higher, Stronger), but there is also the mental element.
Give the average punter Adam Scott’s 15 foot to win at Augusta and I would give even odds on him sinking it five out of 10.
Give him that putt to win The Masters, the pressure of being the first Australian and after blowing the lead at The Open, the punter would be lucky to hold the putter, let alone have the composure to sink it.
When you see such a moment, the first thought is, “how good is that”, the residue is, “imagine if that was me”.
People have an existential attachment to doers of great deeds, with modern technology now even more so. We want to be part of it!
3. Sportsmanship
I know it might be traditional, but it is the heart of the contest. No one likes a sore loser and no one like a showy winner.
The best matches are ones played within an inch of the rules and always the spirit of the game.
The best sporting rivalry I have witnessed is Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal.
Their games have been epic. They love playing the game and they love playing each other, but at end of the game their graciousness and humility is tangible.
It truly amazes me how these players can switch on and off that competitive switch; it’s not something everyone can do.
That is why we love sports, we can see a little bit of ourselves in our sports stars, they are the players/people we strive to be and by following them we hope to learn from their example.
We want to be on the green sinking the putt, but the couch is where we can do it from.
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