Some times, you just gotta miss

Sportmanship is a time honored tradition, in America as well as other parts of the world. We consider it a great show of respect to honor competition and competitors. In doing so we put sports in its proper place, and elevate it to a higher level. Sometimes, however, we go beyond the respect and honor to show compassion, solidarity and love. This portion of dan's good news is being provided by Rivals.com, which reports on high school sports in the U.S. (see link below).

A few hours before his high school basketball team was scheduled to play a game, Johntel Franklin of Milwaukee Madison suffered the passing of his mother. The coach of the team, Aaron Womack Jr., initially wanted to cancel the game. For Johntel, senior captian of the team, that was not an option; he wanted his team to play.

The game began without Johntel in the lineup, and was a close contest. After the first quarter of play, Johntel arrived at the gym not only to cheer his team on, but to help them on the court. His heart was with his team, and more importantly, their's was with him. However, because Johntel was not on the starting lineup, he would not be allowed to simply enter the game. In order to do so, his team would have to commit a technical foul, and in doing so would give the opposing team two valuable free throws.

As one would image, coach Womack had no quarrel in giving up the two points, and drew the foul. On the opposing bench, the senior captain of the team went to the line to take the two free throws. Before he had even stepped up to the line, though, he had decided that he would not be making his two shots. In an unusual display of sportsmanship, he intentionally missed both attempts. In doing so, he allowed the grieving Johntel to enter the game, without any penalty to his team. This act was as amazing and heartfelt as it was unusual, and certainly did not go unnoticed by the home team or the home crowd.

The beauty of this story is two fold. First and foremost, is the fact that Johntel had the courage to support his team and even play in the game. The sense of community and family that his actions must have fostered is probably beyond description in words. The beauty of the story is multiplied by the fact that the opposing team was able to step up and do what they considered right. They were able to look past the colors of their jerseys and see each other as human beings. They were able to recognize courage and greif, and did what was in their ability to show respect and compassion.

In the world of sports, winning isn't everything. Of course, winning is the objective, but sometimes what we can gain from sports goes so far beyond a win-loss record. It goes beyond any statistic that can be kept. Sometimes, it becomes a catalyst to show compassion, and to comfort those in need. Sometimes, it becomes a venue to show tremendous courage in the face of adversity. And, every so often, it allows us to do even more than just come together as teams; it allows us to come together as human beings.

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=914609