Pyle of List

Sometimes, sports make me cry. To be exact, 3-4 moments in the last 10 years, which is probably still well above the national average. Not the whiny “my favorite team is going to make me cry” kind of complaining some fans do or the “We won!” tears of joy of franchise lifers either. Every now and then something happens that provokes a truly emotional response from me because the moment seems bigger than some silly game that people play to entertain. These moments speak to the reasons we play sports in the first place because they reflect teamwork, humility and sportsmanship. Like a resounding trumpet signaling the arrival of royalty, these moments snap us out of the fan-centric sports focus that dominates the day-to-day and into the bigger picture of these games’ impact on humanity.

This year, we had one such moment (around the 1:00 mark):

It’s not the juxtaposition of tragedy and triumph that gets me. It’s when the two meet in the middle of the field in the form of 12 year old boys. We, the adults, have already tainted the purity of the Little League World Series by commercializing it and broadcasting it on TV. Even before that, obsessive parents decided Little League would be a great forum to live vicariously through their seed, pushing them to “greatness” and a fat contract someday. Despite all of the pressures surrounding them, these kids were able to meet in the middle of the diamond and have a real, untainted moment, affected only by mutual respect and true compassion.

These kids spent 6 innings trying desperately to beat each other, which led into extra innings as they were so evenly matched. They gave everything they had, but still had enough for each other when it was all over. As cliche as that sounds, it’s anything but cliched to see this kind of display of true kindness in any walk of life, much less the big-money machine of sports. That day, those boys reminded us of the golden rule and every other moral lesson ever taught to each of us by our parents, teachers and communities. The manner in which we treat our fellow man, even our “enemies”, is a true reflection of your character. Thank you to the young men that reminded us of that, even for just one moment this summer. For that, they are truly deserving of my Sports Moment of the Year.