"Dad, Why do we have sports?"


Yesterday my 10-year-old son inquired why we have sports.  I have not fact checked my response but I suggested that we engage in sports so that we no longer have to actually kill people to determine who is the strongest.  We can declare winners and losers with made up rules that challenge our physical, emotional, and mental acumen.

Occasionally the athletes we admire rise to the occasion and excel in all of those areas.  Others are physically impressive but lack emotional and mental control.  Others who are less physically adept are able to use greater emotional focus and rapid wits to outmaneuver others who, perhaps, should have won.

This is why I love John McEnroe. Mr. McEnroe was not even close to the most physically advanced player of his day.  His emotions on the court were almost never under control, let alone focussed.  And to this day he jokes about his own mental state so I assume he won't mind this simple jab.  How on earth did this enigma dominate and win on the international stage?   I do not know.

That uncertainty and unresolved riddle exemplifies somewhat the why we have and why we love sports.  In American football we have cornerbacks who call out wide receivers on television and we react in horror.  We don't mind when they slam into each other trying to win a game, all the while risking serious injury.  But just break the unwritten code and speak ill off the field against the very opponent you have tried to destroy and risk exile from the fans that created your aura in the first place.

Last week the 2013 Ballon d'Or was awarded to the Portuguese player with Spain's Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo.  While many in the soccer (fútbol) world anticipated this result, like any award determined by vote it did not come without controversy.  Franck Ribéry certainly disagreed.  Ribéry was happy to point out that he helped Bayern win the Bundesliga, German Cup, Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup in 2013.  Contrast that with Ronaldo's impressive 66 goals in 56 appearances but no title nor trophy came to Madrid.

Ribéry not only failed to win the prize.  He wasn't even voted second.  Barcelona's Messi was the first and more graceful loser, then Ribéry in third. These awards pretend to reward the best.  Whether it is the greatest of all time, the best for the year, or the best of show we love our sports because sports fail to answer the question of who is best any better than war did.

The questions go on and on.  The debates endure, and that is in the stands, the bars, our living rooms and offices.  On the field of play the emotions stir to a point that players sometimes ignore the rules of etiquette.  Mr. McEnroe has been reprimanded, scolded, fined and even expelled from the 1990 Australian Open.

And this is why why we love sports and I love John McEnroe.

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