On Humanity in Sports

As a sports fan, it is easy to carried away rooting for and against players. It is very easy to be overly critical at the performance on the field/ice/court. It is easy to lose sight of the humanity that comes with sports. In life, the easy route is often not the right one.

In my time on this planet, I recognize that our society views people of high status or high notoriety as either more than or less than human (respectively). More often than not, we neglect their humanity, especially in the world of social media. I am no saint in this. I’ve made my fair share of jokes about athletes, celebrities, and politicians (they’re still people I think). All jokes aside, observing fans harassing athletes, celebrities, etc while they are out at dinner with their families and/or enjoying time off from their job irritates me.

In the sports world, these men and women put their bodies and health on the line for our entertainment. Watching from the comfort of our homes or from the stands, is very easy to forget that, under every helmet and mask, is someone’s brother/sister, husband/wife, son/daughter. Every celebrity, athlete, and person with money could be susceptible to the same struggles that we “average Joes” deal with. Finding the fine line between not creating an unhealthy relationship with people who do not know you personally, and rooting for them can be difficult for some.

Unless you genuinely have a relationship with a celebrity, they do not know you. That is okay! You can still root for them. But, if you bump into Josh Allen at Bar Bill and he is eating dinner with his family, maybe give him a “Go Bills” and carry on. We call him “Superman” and, on the field, he is definitely an alien. But he is a human being and has every right to his privacy. Every athlete and celebrity deserve that right. 

A situation as significant as the Damar Hamlin injury triggers a lot of self reflection in me. I reflect on my choices, who I surround myself with, how I am perceived. None of that is relevant to Hamlin specifically, but these situations remind us how fragile life is. Nothing in life is guaranteed. I spew out my consciousness here not to say anything groundbreaking, but to encourage anyone who is reading to not take life for granted.

Hug your loved ones close, and remove hate from our hearts. In spite of the hardships we may face, fighting to find the silver lining in every situation (while easier said than done) is something I am fighting to do everyday. While the “Golden Rule” of humanity is clichéd, it’s very true.

“Treat others how you want to be treated.”

The Golden Rule

Treat others with kindness. As Damar Hamlin said “If you get a chance to show some love today do it! It won’t cost you nothing.”

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Featured Image: Kamil Krzaczynski/AP