Respect the Game

Last night I had the opportunity to go support the Marysville Lady Monarchs Varsity team as they battled in the Sweet 16.

The game was a war.
Back and forth the entire night.

Both teams competed hard, and in the end Marysville came up just short against a really good New Albany team.

While I was watching the game, I was sitting next to a parent who also happens to be a coach and a good friend of mine.

All night long he did one thing.

He cheered.

He cheered for the team.
He cheered for his daughter.
He supported the coaches.

The game wasn’t perfect.

There were mistakes.
There were missed shots.
There were questionable possessions.

But not once did I hear him say anything negative about his daughter.
Not once did he criticize another player.
Not once did he question the coach.

He just supported.

When the final buzzer sounded and the loss became reality, he was the first person to stand up and clap — cheering for those girls as they walked off the floor one by one.

Then as the coach walked off — clearly hurting the way every coach does after a tough loss — my friend yelled down with a strong voice:

“Aye Coach! Aye Coach!! Great season! Great season! Thank you for what you do!”

Man… that hit me.

Sometimes in sports we lose sight of the big picture.

Wins matter.
Losses hurt.
But the way we support, uplift, and respect the people in the arena matters even more.

Big T… thank you for the reminder of how to do it the right way.

I needed that one, bro.

Love you fam.