Be a good sport
Be humble. Be honest. Be serious.
The photo shows a cyclist on a bike surrounded by a cheering crowd and wearing the highest prize in cycling: the yellow jersey. Photo by Árni Svanur Daníelsson at Unsplash.
Today, I share with you my guilty pleasure of the month of July: every July, I watch the Tour de France, the biggest bike race in the world. The race is actually 21 races over 3 weeks with a couple of rest days thrown in for good measure.
Like all sports, bike racing has many layers. When I first started watching, I appreciated only the athletic performances. “Wow, he’s so strong!”
But there is so much more going on that is way more interesting.
Over the three weeks of this sporting event, there are “missions within missions,” and everyone has a role to play among the 22 teams. It is not always obvious that this is a team sport, because there are individual winners winning every day. But it is a team sport, and often the cohesion of the teams makes the difference when it comes to winning.
Bike racing is a lot like life.
The Mindbody themes
There are mindbody themes in the sport of cycling, because it is about paying attention and cultivating situational awareness, knowing what is going on on multiple levels. The competitors have to concentrate and focus to navigate terrain, weather, and riding in a bunch, and of course competing with other riders. A break in concentration in the moment can be costly or, tragically, even deadly, because racing is a high-risk endeavor. Often, there is a winning move of one rider or a team choosing the moment in the race to use their skills (sprinting or climbing uphill) that shows an accurate estimation of their competition and their abilities to handle the situation or the terrain. Mind and body must work together at all times.
Being a good sport
The sportsmanship of the competitors also applies to fans at the side of the road or us watching the televised races from the armchair. The competitors show their sportsmanship when they show respect to one another by bringing their best to the sport and speaking well of the competitors. As fans, we show respect for all the competitors as well, and the challenge is to keep an open mind about how order is emerging out of the chaos. There are multiple factors and influences like weather, personalities, and athletic abilities to keep in mind. Sometimes, there are big surprises.
I have also observed that being a good sport is about being a gracious winner, shaking hands with opponents and acknowledging excellence in others. Similarly, not giving in to defeat is another part of being good sport: Just because things have not worked out for you in the moment does not mean you are truly defeated. The champions are often the ones who try again and again. Sometimes, it is not your turn. Patience and maturity count for a lot.
There’s also the comeback story that I love to watch. Competitors can compete for 10 to 20 years before they retire. During their sporting careers, there are winning streaks, bad luck, defeat, and not giving in to defeat. Some people retire at the top of their game. Others have career-ending crashes. Some have the near-career-ending crashes and come back stronger, better.
I find all these stories inspiring. What I see is the human spirit shining through, sometimes with maturity, thoughtfulness and humor and sometimes with rage and heartbreak. I have witnessed story after story of deep joy and relief in this sport. There are tears of joy when people come roaring back from injury or crashes when the timing, the people around them, and the conditions come together. People make history, break through limits, set records, and defy the odds.
Spirit in Sport
There is also the simple fact of people coming together for the sake of sport—to race and participate or to watch—all celebrating that which unites us rather than fueling what divides us.
These simple joys of being human (cooperating, doing your best, being on the same page about rules and safety in the sport) can help us make it through the pain of living that is everywhere.
Never forget that this human spirit we all share is full of LIGHT.