Jocks Give Athletes A Bad Name

I grew up in a city where high school sports were life- not just for the players who dedicated most of their off-time to practicing, getting lessons or resting for the big game.  The games brought together their families, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends and any local who had a love for athleticism.  There were huge displays of school spirit and encouragement for the young student-athletes who put in the hard work.  I am not much of an athlete myself, having never much cared for the pressure to perform or the intensity of competition. But I have always enjoyed the thrill of supporting those who thrive on it and watching them demonstrate true physical intelligence on the court, field, track, etc.

I used to sit in the dugout with my my brother's little league team. My dad and one of the neighbors would coach and I learned how to keep the books. And I never felt out of place, never felt unwelcome because even though I wasn't playing, my spirit was in it. Once it changed from just kids in the dugout to a "girl" in the boys dugout, I began standing just outside listening and chanting along with the team. I would stand behind the plate, just to the side so I could see everything that happened at home and in the field. It was the closest I could get without actually playing.

When we started going to the high school basketball and baseball games I got just as excited. A family friend started playing for the varsity team at Holy Name High School and I fell in love with the crowd. I started to know faces, eventually names, and to this day I can remember the guys on the team and some of their jersey numbers. I found that the same way those that don't do, teach, those who don't play, cheer. I was never the cheerleading type, but let's be honest, cheerleading is much less about cheering on the team, it's about getting the fans involved and practicing for competitions. I was just there to enjoy the sport and cheer on the players. I became a true believer in the power of encouragement and the importance of positive energy. And still, we sat just behind the bench, where we could hear the coach's speeches and smell the sweat dripping off the players. I still remember the names of the ones that got hurt and had to sit out or the ones that fell to the court when they lost the state championship at the Centrum that year. From then on, I knew I was going to Holy Name. It was already a part of me, or at least, I have given it a part of myself.

I went on to cheer my friends through titles in football, baseball, softball, field hockey, track, basketball and baseball for those six years I attended HN. But it was different. This time they were my family and friends again. And this time they were growing up and growing outward. I started to realize that half of the players I was cheering for stopped caring about the game and cared more about the fact that they were playing it. They cared about what it meant to say that they were on a winning team. Egos became more impressive than talent, not for all, but for a good number of people that I supported. I suppose that is where I started to notice the difference between jocks and athletes. An athlete was someone who took pride in their training, admired the talent of others, were grateful to those who coached and taught them how to perfect their skills.  The athletes were people that knew they were high school student-athletes and didn't let their heads get too big for the game.  They passed the ball, took one for the team, dove to catch a fly without thinking how cool everyone would think they were for doing it. They did it for the good of the team and as a testament to their physical abilities. The jocks were the ones that expected special treatment. They were the ones that had the nerve to shove around their teammates. They talked back to coaches and parents and trainers. They were the ones that made it hard for the fans to support the team.

It has been years since high school and thankfully I can say that most of the jocks I knew have retired their attitude. But once in awhile I hear a comment from one athlete to another that gets under my skin. Never in a little league dug out would you hear one kid discourage another player.  They all wanted to win and they all just wanted to play. They would practice because it was fun and because to them, athleticism made them feel something that no other kind of learning brought out in them. It was and always will be their genius. But like every other field, there are those who work for it, take pride in it and are grateful for it and there are those who will use their talent to every advantage.