Back in November I watched the USA vs. England World Cup match. An extraordinary thing happened that needs to happen more often in life.
During the match, two players collided and an American player went down with an obvious injury. In soccer, play continues despite the injury and often teams will take advantage of the situation. But England made a gentlemanly play. They passed the ball back to their goalie who then threw the ball out of play to officially stop play. The American player was taken off the field and substituted.
When play began the American’s were given possession of the ball and by rule had to be the first team to touch the ball in play. The American player lightly passed the ball to the English goalie as if they were teammates. The competition intensity then resumed per normal.
Imagine the world we would live in if we were all concerned for the well-being of others. Actions in situations like the one described above show human character as well as competitiveness. Competition is also about respect for your opponent. In sport and life success is a good thing that we should want for ourselves and others. It can be had with good behavior and respect when we are living in the moment and aware of our surroundings and others.
Leave a Reply