There is a story behind how I became the Sports Editor of The West Georgian, when I myself have very little experience as a participant in sports or similar activities.  I figure it’s interesting and serves as a good springboard for talking about sports themselves.

This is my third year working for The West Georgian, the student newspaper for this university.  I’ve been a staff writer and an Ombudsman (abuse sponge) and worked hard because I believe in the mission of our paper:  To provide news to the students and to provide a venue in which students can get experience delivering the news.

Well, this summer I worked with the paper by going to meetings and defending our budget from being rescinded, and we succeeded in getting what we needed to continue.  Unfortunately, we still had not filled the position of Sports Editor.  As fall semester drew closer and closer, I became more aware of this vacancy and what it would mean.  This is supposed to be our banner year at this university and its athletics department, and no sports editor would compromise sports coverage and drag down the school’s big year.  Someone had to step up.

I had been pushing aside the idea of working as an editor in the paper because I didn’t want to be locked into a responsibility I couldn’t back down from.  However, one thing my father instilled in me is the courage to stand up when duty calls, to accept the responsibility when it is needed.  So I decided to apply to be the sports editor.

Now, before I go on, I don’t have some lofty delusion of grandeur in play here that’s driven me to make this post or talk up my job.  It’s a simple job, cover sports events, make sure there are photographers and writers for different things and generally make everyone aware of whats going on in the field.  When you work this kind of job, if you’re doing things right, people shouldn’t notice you’ve done anything at all.  I don’t hold myself up as some keystone for the university’s success, I just saw the job as one that needed doing.  And so here I am.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about football, soccer or volleyball.  I barely know the basics of basketball, and I have no idea what’s going on in golf.  Now, admittedly, when it comes to baseball and softball, I am an expert.  Otherwise, I’m a bit of a goof.  So I have to come up with a simple formula:

1)  Write the Lead-  Who did what, when, where, why and how?  Example:  “The University of West Georgia Wolves [took on/rumbled with/fought/other militaristic or pugilistic verb here] [Such and so team] at [Location] this [Day], [walking away with the win/but could not secure the win] and [won/lost] at [Score].”

2)  Quote the coach:  Coaches usually have some interesting way of putting things, talk to them for about 3-4 minutes and you’ll get something that you can put in there usually.  Sometimes you may have to paraphrase, however, if you are worried about being concise.

3)  Note the big moves.  Score?  Cool!  Write it.  Interception?  Write it!  Big punt return?  WRITE IT!  Pretty much just try to explain how the score got to where it was, and explain why the score didn’t get where it could be.

It’s that simple.  It’s not brain science or rocket surgery.  Sports are important, though, and even I tend to underestimate their relevance.  The thing about sports is that what happens on the field is a corporeal representation of the human struggle to achieve and overcome.  By breaking through obstacles and testing our limits, we exemplify who we are as people.  That’s why sports matter; the things we do all day to achieve our own success is represented on the field.

Sometimes, you fight against other people who oppose you, sometimes your obstacles are within yourself, and you must overcome your own limits and push towards greater glory.  Sometimes the problem is the team, you find out who is having trouble, and you get his back, strengthen him up, and help him make the big play.  It’s a bit of a cliche to say that life is a sport, but it is quite the apropos metaphor.  The reason sports are so captivating as a spectacle is because the lessons learned on the field are so applicable to our lives.

We see in the sweaty faces of the volleyball player our own fierce spirit to go on.

In the grass-stained uniform of the football player, we see the falls we’ve suffered, but more importantly, we see that we got up afterwards.

We see in the bloodied face of the hockey player, the life that we fight for every day against incredible odds.

In the bruises of the soccer player, we see the wounds we’ve licked and carried even as we triumphed.

We see the dirt on the faces of the softball and baseball players and we’re reminded that sometimes you must get a little dirty to get a job done.

In the eyes of the basketball player we see ourselves gazing towards our own goals, just out of reach if not for the last bit of effort to push through.

We gaze in awe of the force that the track and cross-country athletes bring to bear, pushing to break not just their own limits, but the limits of human achievement itself and enduring through it all.

And even in the crisp collars of golfers, we see the resolve to keep grace under pressure and remember our own trials.

Sports matter because we all matter.  We all hunger for that moment, for that victory.  Even when you lose, you can’t be defeated when you give it every ounce and every mote of effort.  And that’s the real lesson you get from sports.