Sports

Miles Seeley, a Stanford Letterman, says:

"Forgive me, dear mentor, but I do not share your lively interest in how Latin American sporting events have subverted the culture and religion of those countries. I am more fascinated by, for example, the story of a young black track coach from Hampton, Virginia, who arrived at my doorstep in Tangier after a lengthy tour through Africa trying to coach local youngsters. Or the learned understanding and joy of a friend of mine, a biathlete who was in 3 Olympics and was never paid or celebrated, but who trained intensely for 12 years just for the honor and thrill of participating and living abroad and knowing so many others from so many nations. What he brought back and shared with the residents of his small mountain home town in Wyoming was not the stuff of headlines, but it affected the perceptions of almost all who knew him."

My comment: Like everything, this issue is complex, and there are all kinds of considerations and shades of opinion. The job of WAIS is to present all sides. There seems to be general agreement that gross commercialism has done great harm to the sporting spirit. On the non-commercial side there are innumerable examples of the good Miles cites. For example, a public-spirited individual organizes street games to keep kids out of trouble. We should distinguish among sports by degree of violence (boxing being about the worst) and team games, which teach cooperation rather than individual glory.

As for the mob violence which has characterized soccer games, it could be argued that the mob learns that in life one does not always win. that one must play by the rules, and that the job of referees or judges is to see that the rules are obeyed. Unfortunately, the mob is a slow learner.

One does not always win. My great and vain ambition is to clean off my desk before I die, but now I have two desks. I am learning the lesson that one does not always win. Such is life.

Ronald Hilton - 1/01/01