By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Watching sports makes me muse sometimes about the comparisons to everyday living. The decisions we make and how they affect other people can make us famous or infamous. I suspect the important part is that we should always try to make good decisions. That should be our goal each day.
In another life that I had, I would watch my opponent throw his tennis racket on the tennis court and sometimes step on it. They were boiling mad and upset because of a point they lost.
Their tennis racket became the bane of their existence. Having their temper under control was just not happening. During my days of playing the sport of tennis, I never threw my racket in anger or disgust. The reasons were simple. I didn’t want to embarrass myself or my family.
Another important reason was that I didn’t want to show my opponent I was affected by his play.
My tennis role model was Arthur Ashe. Many years ago, I was in his presence. When you watched him play, you really couldn’t tell if he was winning or losing.
Another player that had similar characteristics was Bjorn Borg from Sweden. He was almost stoic on the court.
Temperament in sports is important. Keeping your cool in the heat of battle is not easy. I have often said that playing sports is not easy, especially when you lose.
Losing is built into sports. There is no gray area as you either win or you lose.
It is not how you handle the winning, it is how you deal with the losing. The losing part will make you stumble but it won’t make you crumble.
Players and their emotions are in the news a lot these days. Competition stretches them and tests our will. I often say there are a few known facts in sports.
First, you can’t win them all regardless of your skill level and records will be broken at some point.
Losing is a part of sports com- petition. Ideally, you want to use the loss in a constructive way to get better. Making mistakes should not become a habit.
Will competing in sports help you later in life? I believe it will. There are many lessons that sports teach us.
First, as people, we are constantly trying to get better. Plainly stated, because today was a good day does not mean tomorrow will be too. You must put in the time and the work to make it happen.
Communication is another attribute that applies to both sports and life. Talking with others and expressing opinions al- lows us to have a say in what will happen around us.
If we remain silent, our wants and needs will go unfulfilled.
Don’t let having bad days become a constant in your life. Learning how to bounce back from being down will strengthen our resolve in life.
It is not how many times you fall down, it’s how many times you get up. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.
Steve Prefontaine, a famous distance runner said, “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.”
We must surround ourselves with people who have similar interests and want to achieve their goals. Being around complacent people makes us complacent too.
Not giving up on an idea or project shows that we are re-silient and not easily swayed. There will be roadblocks along the way as we strive to be successful.
I am reminded of Jim Valvano, championship basketball coach at N.C. State University who famously said, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”
As the popularity of sports continues to grow, let’s cheer on our favorite teams and players.
Remember that America and the world have a relationship with sports that won’t ever be broken.
Dr. James B. Ewers, Jr. is a longtime educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
