Sport teaches about playing game of life
I’VE secretly fancied myself as a bush lawyer but never really had the chance to shine or possibly burn.
One August week a few years back, an opportunity fell into my lap. The family of a local talented footballer asked if I could represent their son at a local junior rugby league judiciary meeting. I was at pains to stress I had very little real-life experience on the field and was an unknown quantity in terms of an advocate. The family insisted and I said yes.
I listened to the details of the charges against the young man, studied the local rules and diligently prepared my case. I was quietly confident.
When I entered the room with my new client (let it be recorded I took no fee), I had mixed emotions as I recognised local league legend Paul Canning as chair of the panel. By reputation I knew Paul to be a good man, a fair man, but also a firm man.
The years have clouded my memory in terms of the exact charge against my client, but I very clearly remember the response of the panel. It was pastoral instead of punitive. They listened respectfully and then led the young man through the consequences of similar actions taken off the field.
This interaction went way beyond rugby league. The three panel members were preparing and teaching the young man how he could be the best person in the community, as opposed to the best rugby league player on the field.
The young man missed a game for his misdemeanours but went on to play in the grand final. I’m not sure of the outcome there – but I know that the time he spent in front of that panel was time very well spent.
We could fill this paper with examples of when sport and those who participate
‘‘ STEVE SMITH IN THE ASHES SERIES THIS PAST FORTNIGHT HAS TAUGHT US THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE MISTAKES, TO LEARN FROM THEM AND TURN THINGS AROUND.
in it and follow it go off the rails. But every now and then it is worth stopping to reflect on the gift it brings to so many.
Office tipping competitions are a great expression of organisational democracy. No matter where you sit in your workplace, your tip counts just the same. It also provides a connection across departments, cultures, gender and even religious divides.
Sport gives us permission to be tribal, but without guns or death or misery – though losing can be rather unpleasant. It lets us know that life doesn’t revolve around “me”. Worthwhile achievements require others as well: we are not alone.
Steve Smith in the Ashes series this past fortnight has taught us that it is possible to make mistakes, to learn from them and turn things around.
If you need examples of the connection and sense of belonging that sport can bring, then look no further than Ross Saville and his University Cougars AFL team. Young residents who might be the first generation to live on the Downs become teammates and key players, rather than refugees or migrants.
The Clontarf Foundation and Beyond the Broncos Girls Academy offer opportunities for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to flourish and reach their full potential. Playing football is not the real goal in these academies: it is a vehicle to reaching the bigger goal which is playing the game of life.
Sport is not in itself a panacea, but holds within it a great capacity to help us all celebrate our common humanity.