Thursday, September 24, 2015

Junk Food for the Soul

Today's blog post was written by Rachel Sexton. Rachel is a senior Accounting major at the University of Notre Dame and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion founding director Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan. Rachel is also a member of the Women's Lacrosse Team at Notre Dame.



Bart Giamatti, former commissioner of Major League Baseball referred to sport as “Junk Food for the Soul.” What does that really mean though? Picture a football game, a Notre Dame football game, a stadium of strangers bonded together for a moment in time to watch their team strive for victory.


photo from Rachel Sexton 

Look at the fans, the cheering, the coaching, and competition. It’s overwhelmingly amazing. The smallest play results in an unbelievable uproar from the crowd. This moment in time connects the crowd and brings them back to a time in their life where they competed for something bigger than themselves.

It truly is special being able to play for something bigger than yourself, and working hard on a team. The pregame nerves; one-goal games and tight races… when the competition is so close you feel as though life itself is on the line. Even losing is special, because losing gives you the grit to get back out there; losing motivates you, stops you from becoming complacent and keeps you humble. But let's be honest, who doesn’t like winning? Winning is when the endless hours of work you’ve put in become a reality. The celebrations, giving hugs, sweating, crying… and that feeling of euphoria: the winning goal, the final point, the touch at the wall, the gut-wrenching ‘lean’ over the finish line. That ‘in the moment’ feeling of euphoria seems to only exists in sports.

photo from Rachel Sexton 

It’s not only the big things, but also the smaller details that have helped to shape our views and memories in sport. The fist pump & jump celebrations – the assist no one saw coming – hustle plays – high-fives – when your teammate scores his/her first –crushing the run test or at least surviving. We miss the parent hugs after the competition… because they’re always proud of you, even if you fell on your face (metaphorically or physically). The moments we spent warming up, cooling down and working with teammates: the people you fight with and fight for. When you see the little boy or girl who looks up to you like you’re a hero… hoping to be you one day; because you got to live out your dream, competing in the sport that you love.