sports culture

It is often said that Sport imitates life, I always wonder if that is true and whether the Sportsmanship and the sporting spirit existed. That is because when the stakes are high, I wonder how many of us can be honest? Honest enough to lose an advantage or maybe even fail at achieving a dream. I mean even at the times when it did not matter much, how many times can I person say I have been honest?

Do you remember those school tests, where you could cheat, copy that answer of someone else, we know it is wrong but still the temptation was there and most of us succumbed(unless you get caught its fine, that is the thought). There was always that one person who got lucky; the teacher gave him extra marks or a higher grade accidentally. So what does that person do? Get up go to the teacher, get the scoring error corrected. The result, he did not realize that he had just corrected himself out an A+ plus score, which would have him take top honours in class. Now was that a wise choice? Would he have done it if he knew he was losing the top grade? Ninety nine times out of hundred, I do not see that happening.

The stakes were just a school test, now take that same situation and place it in an infamously famous piece of football world cup history. Now known as the "Hand of God" goal. That being the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, it is the quarter finals and England face Argentina. Argentina with the legendary Maradona and England with "Mr. Clean" Gary Linekar (he never got a yellow or red card in his career). The stage was set; on the line was the World Cup, the dream of every footballer. Maradona got a cross and leaped up brilliantly in the air to head it (given his small physical size) and en route to the goal the ball brushed his left hand. A clear hand ball, but the goal went in and it was allowed. Camera's showed the clear hand ball, the England players protested but to no avail. Then, the Goal of the century by Maradona, where he single handedly (or footedly) scored the next goal taking the whole English defense (such was his class).

There are times when a person can rise above the game; I wonder what if Maradona could have told the referee, that it was a hand ball and that the goal, be disallowed (which it should have been, as per rules). At what price though, at the price of risking world cup glory? Now one could argue that it is the referee's job to make sure rules are adhered to. There was a chance, to rise above the game, but the stakes were much too high, even for the person who scored the goal of the century. Every time a batsman walks (without being given out by the umpire), or improper tackle of which a player takes responsibility, the person might lose but the game wins, sport wins and with that, even if there was no glory, a person rises above the game and becomes the spirit of the game. There is no price, honesty cannot be valued by stakes.