Source: SportsNet
Scandals, abuse, nasty trades, sexual assault, domestic violence, rumors, and degrading women within the industry are just a few of the ugly things that have made headlines about various sports leagues and athletes. But there are some beautiful things about sports as well.
Source: NBC Sports
Source: 92.9 The Source
But the beautiful thing about sports is it provides hope and the opportunity to enlighten the world. Athletes, teams, and leagues are given a platform most individuals are not given.
This platform can be used for good or bad. It is what I refer to as medicine, and that medicine is either spoiled or just the right antidote to help cure society’s ills. When medicine is the right antidote, sports show the world what ethical, and moral character looks like. When it is spoiled, the world sees headlines like DeShaun Watson, Antonio Brown, Darryl Sutter, concussion cover-ups, “shut up and play,” performance enhancement drugs, and so on.
Source: CNN via Stephen B Smith
The right antidote lets us see White men join Black men in kneeling to support human rights efforts like Black Lives Matter. The right antidote is a man, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, telling the world that the sport he plays to make a living can wait so the world can sit and conversate over those same human rights issues. It is JJ Watt fundraising to help heal the city of Houston after a damaging hurricane hits the area.
The beautiful side of sports is making children smile while they are recovering in the hospital. It is beautiful to see athletes give children hope for a better future and single mothers a “hand up” to ease their burdens. It is the athletes taking a genuine stand against discrimination regarding the LGBTQ+ community. It is athletes making sure other athletes’ health issues are not swept under the rug.
For all the ills in sports, there is hope because there are men and women who have not forgotten their humanity. And just like my Lord rose after three days, sports will continue to rise as we continue to eliminate spoiled medicine. Just look at the strides the other half of humanity* has made in the past year. . . .
Source: The Beautiful Game NYC