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Game of Life: Lessons We Can Learn From Sports

by Dr. Leonard Kupersmith
I believe that there is a sports metaphor for most of life’s challenges and conundrums. Sports train us to cope with ambiguity by reducing it to adages: “Just Do It!” “Is It In You?” are two such explicit exhortations that cut through the haze and hesitation.

Moses Malone, the basketball great of the ’70s and ’80s, cleared my mind with the proverb, “You can’t shoot the ball, if you ain’t got the ball.” That truth applies universally. If you don’t have the key instruments, there’s no chance for success. No attempts without the ball. No points without attempts. Mr. Malone got it.

Growing up in Brooklyn in the ’60s, I was shaped by schoolyard, pickup basketball. A few lessons that I took away from those hours on the asphalt were:
  • Playing with talented and serious players lifts one’s own game;
  • If you respect the game, you can govern yourselves without refs; and
  • Pick your shots prudently.
I have tried to bear these lessons in mind.

Schools can import the benefits of athletics into their programs and promote the greatest good for the greatest number. Just as I believe that all students benefit from high expectations, challenging teachers, and a solid, content-based, time-tested program, I believe that virtually all students benefit from the experiences of playing competitive sports. Life’s crucial lessons are played out on playing fields.

We learn the virtues of team play. Being a “team player” ranks high in the litany of strengths that a person brings to an organization. We learn from sports how to subordinate our egos and private drives to the good of the team.
Teamwork does not destroy the individual; in fact when a group is functioning at its best the individual can prosper even more. In all school team sports, the truly successful teams are ensembles. Coach John Wooden put it memorably: “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”

We learn how to react to loss. Loss is indigenous to living. Each of us has to learn how to deal with not measuring up, coming up short, failing to meet our aims. Loss can devastate us or it can inspire us to persevere. It can teach us to be humble. A true measure of our mettle is how we react to misfortune. It’s easy to be kind and generous when we’re prospering. Sports can teach us that the “uses of adversity are sweet.”

We learn how to be good sports. A sequel to the previous point, being a good sport is a learned behavior. It includes but is not limited to losing graciously. We learn from sports to encourage our teammates, commend our opponents, accept penalty with composure, and celebrate the game that sponsors our efforts.

We learn about leadership. Through the circumstances of a game, players discover occasions to rise to the moment: They take the clutch shot (think of Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers, who wants the last shot), they pump up their teammates, they summon latent stamina, and they direct strategy on the court or field. A remarkably high percentage of CEOs and military leaders played collegiate sports, often playing a leadership role on that team.
We develop poise before an audience and learn how to deal with pressure. Few assets sustain us better than an ability to “perform under scrutiny and stress. No matter how insignificant a game may be, every player knows the crowd’s eyes are focused on him or her. If a player makes a mistake, he learns to soldier on and store his angst for a later date. When a player makes a great play, he or she has a chance to learn the merits of humility and reserve. Accepting recognition without fanfare is an important tool in the arsenal of maturity.

These lessons have lasting value. In the rough and tumble business of living, we all face challenges. We call upon our intellectual resources and our strengths of character to address most of those challenges.

I am convinced that every great teacher is part coach, motivating, cheering, prodding his students to achieve, and every great coach is a terrific teacher, methodically instilling knowledge and skills in every player. The combination of the inspirational motivator and the academic mentor leaves a profound and lasting impact on students.

As we launch a new school year, I am hopeful that all of our constituents become participants in the life of our school communities and “play ball.”

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Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.