Sports fans always love this illustration
Baseball often comes up as a topic of conversation at the TOBET office. This happens mostly because half our leadership team would willingly lose a kidney for another Texas Ranger world series. But also, as a company that creates TOB-themed education resources, we appreciate that sports help us understand how the body matters in some ways that books simply can’t. Let’s look at a few examples.
1. The body teaches many limits:
We often say that the body teaches many lessons. In sports, our bodies teach us the limitations of our physical abilities. I can’t compete with Olympic swimmers, because I haven’t conditioned my body to withstand the stress that theirs can. Desire won’t change that fact. I simply don’t have the body of an Olympic swimmer. It would only take one lap in the pool for me to learn that lesson.
2. I can expand my limits by pushing myself:
While I may never attain the abilities of a professional athlete, I can still try to improve myself. This teaches us something about the nature of our bodies. Namely, that when we test our limits and try to push beyond them, we can grow. The competition of sports helps present opportunities to grow by pitting us against opponents with more skill, strength, or stamina than we ourselves have.
3. Self-mastery leads to success:
Any good athlete will admit that competing in sports requires time, effort, and dedication. A baseball player who drills his catching, hitting, and running skills will perform better in a game than me, who doesn’t do any of that. Sports teach us the merits of denying ourselves in the present for something greater in the future in a very tangible way. Pope Saint John Paul II, well known for his love of sports, echoes this sentiment in his works when he extols the virtues of self-mastery. He argues that without first mastering our own passions, we hinder our ability to love others.
4. Giving gifts in sports:
Sports can help us learn how and when to rely on others. Coaches help us achieve proper technique, teammates cover our weak spots, and opponents give us someone to compete against. These interactions help shape us into more well-formed human beings by presenting us with opportunities to be a gift. I make a gift of self to my coach when I receive and incorporate their advice, I make a gift of self to my teammates when I set them up for opportunities to make a good play, and I make a gift of self to my opponents when I act with good sportsmanship.
5. Growing in friendship:
Sports help us grow in friendship with each other, by giving us fun opportunities to compete and grow together. When we practice, learn from, or compete against others in healthy ways, we grow in respect and affection for them. Something about expending physical effort together helps brings us closer to one another, and pushes us to work harder towards our goals. In this way, friendships of fun can grow into friendships of virtue.
In many ways Sports help us live out the truth that the body matters. Even in our increasingly digitized world, many people enjoy playing, watching, and discussing sports. These pastimes we often take for granted can teach us much about what it means to live as embodied human persons. When considering our children’s education, let’s not forget that sports matter!
Post-game orange slices always hit
Chris Tarantino is the Communications Director for TOBET. He studied History at The University at Texas A&M and has written for the Tennessee Register and Nashville Catholic.
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