SPORTS July 18, 2005 Issue

FOCUS ON GOD, NOT ON THE RECORD BOOKS

MARK SWINNEY

WHERE I LIVE in the United States, besides the sports-specific magazines and newspapers that are available, we have three channels that televise news about sports 24 hours a day. It's interesting how, for most of these shows and publications, results and other statistics make up the bulk of what's reported.

It does make sense. Fans love it when their team wins, and they want to know all the details. As a result, however, most people actually participating in sports become preoccupied with wins, losses, times, percentages, and standings. They sweat over every facet of their performance and the impact it will have on the record books. And that's not always such a good thing. I know from experience that an athlete's worst enemy is tension, and that a results-driven athlete will often have plenty of it, marked by shallow breathing and even shaking, and, finally, the breakdown of skills.

It's not hard for me to sympathize with professional athletes whose every success or failure, every error or misjudgement—or even a heated word muttered under the breath during competition—can become headline news. How do they handle it? Take a post-game press or TV interview: "Your team lost today. Can you win your next game?" And the breathless athlete's answer goes something like, "If we stick to our game plan, there's no reason we can't play better. That's what we're trying to do. One game at a time."

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