France, Croatia and the Code

Watching the World Cup games reminded us again of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” and of why we play any game.  We do it for fun; games should be fun.  We also play games because we enjoy the reward and satisfaction of getting better as we practice and play.   It’s exciting to be able to see yourself improve with effort – all of that is part of the fun.  We play because we want to test ourselves, to see how we’re doing by competing against others.  In playing games, we learn in a very practical way many life lessons: the importance of daily effort, discipline, playing by the rules, teamwork and the will to succeed.  By playing any sport we “win” in so many ways. Unfortunately, in far too many situations today, the pressure to win has distorted these basic values.  So where are you in all of this?  As an athlete, do you wake up in the morning excited for the opportunity to play again?  As a parent, are you being a positive support? As a coach, what are your goals for the team?  There is so much more in any game than the final score, and the response of the people in Croatia to their team’s final defeat was a great lesson in “winning more than the game.”