I start with an admission: I am not a follower of organized sports such as hockey, baseball or American/Canadian football, though I will happily steal a glance at a European soccer game or a good tennis match.
An anecdote! I spent two years teaching in our Jesuit high school in Winnipeg during my early formation as a Jesuit. One of my after school duties was to coach an intramural football team. A few of my remarks at the first practice: "I know nothing about football and I care even less, but I will be your biggest booster." One student went home and told his mother. The next day he delivered several books from the public library – how to coach football. However, unbeknownst to the team on the first day, I had recruited an alumnus well known for his football history in the school. My team, the Steelers, went on to be the intramural champions.
Another anecdote: I recall a humorous interview with the mother of a famous hockey player. The clincher was her line: "I can't understand the game – all these grown men fighting over a small black rubber object. Why don't they give all the players one, so that they stop fighting"!
But personal views aside, I know that events such as the Olympics and the World Cup can turn me into a sports fan. My ASICS rucksack bears the slogan, "Sports – The Universal Language." Sports has the ability to transcend political, social and economic differences. Soccer does not require expensive equipment.
I write this as the markets are reeling from Brexit and the future of the European Union is up for debate. At the same time, Euro 2016 continues to captivate fans of "the beautiful game" (o jogo bonito, a Portuguese phrase coined by the Brazilian footballer Pelé). The crowds don’t look as though they are focused on Brexit.
The universal prayer intention entrusted by Pope Francis to the worldwide Apostleship of Prayer for August is focused on sports: "That sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world."
The sporting world unfortunately is all too often accompanied by scandalous salaries, expensive clothes, gambling, cheating, banned substances, huge egos, disrespect and violence. How many of us have experienced the shattering reality of discovering that a revered athlete is just one more cheat and failure! No wonder we become cynics!
Sports have the potential to do much good between people and nations. Involvement in athletic activities can rouse us to go beyond ourselves, to always set a new goal for ourselves. The motto of the Olympic Games is a challenge to each of us: Citius – Altius – Fortius. Faster – Higher – Stronger. Those words go back to a Dominican priest at a school sports event in 1881.We all say that it's not about setting a record or outperforming others on the track. But it is! Every time I run a race, the first thing I do when I get home is to look at my results. What was my time? How did I rank overall? Where was I placed in my gender and age category? I’m sure that most of us do it. There is nothing wrong with that if it is associated with self-improvement.
The problem arises when I decide to cheat in order to "improve" my performance. It can become so problematic that I start to believe my own lies. Think of Lance Armstrong. I mention him, because he was a personal hero as I dealt with a brain tumour. Couldn't he see that more people would respect him as a cancer survivor than as a cyclist so driven by competition that he would fabricate a huge and complex deception.
Why do we tolerate the egos of the sporting world? Contrast the arrogance of Cristiano Ronaldo with Lionel Messi, the more humble and devout Roman Catholic Argentinean who celebrates his goals by looking up to heaven and pointing to the sky in tribute to his grandmother. What is the personal trait that made us so respectful of the recently-deceased Gordie Howe and Muhammad Ali?
Sports has the potential for promoting peace between peoples. The Vatican has commissioned Lang Marketing of Canada to plan a sports conference for early October 2016. “Sports at the Service of Humanity” will explore the relationship between sports and society. It is based on the conviction that sports can be a powerful tool to make people grow. Let us pray, with Pope Francis, that sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples.