The game of life

MANNY PACQUIAO may not have defeated Floyd Mayweather, but I am proud of him as a fellow Filipino just the same. From what I saw on TV, Pacquiao fought a good fight, displayed a winning attitude, and never forgot that the fight was not for his ego, but for his God and for his country. The discipline and hard work which got him where he is now, those “can-do,” confident-but-not-cocky grins he flashed at various points throughout the match continue to inspire me.

As I continue following his career, I pray that he keeps his admirable attitudes and remains undefeated by the corrupting elements of the world of sports. Anyone who assiduously follows developments in sports knows about its less salutary aspects. In an article titled “Dioses Sin Olimpo,” which appeared in the Winter 2015 issue of the quarterly Spanish magazine Nuestro Tiempo, Ignacio Uria documented cases of bribery and doping in sports as diverse as baseball, tennis, cycling, chess, basketball, boxing (which he described as “the sport most associated with corruption”), soccer, skiing, and athletics. The author’s conclusion, translated into English, was that “The corruption of the best is the worst. In sports we encounter the best examples of constancy and talent, but also the worst of corruption and deceit. To know the high price paid by these athletes is the first step to prevent that they be repeated.”

Moral degeneration among athletes is not limited to sensational cases of bribery and doping. For example, during one of the modern Olympic Games, newspapers mentioned free condoms being distributed to athletes in the Olympic villages.

It does not help that media have often portrayed sports as nothing more than a cult of the body, a quest for fame and popularity, or a testosterone showdown.

Meanwhile, every summer vacation, sports clinics advertise themselves by promising parents that enrolling children in one sports program or another will help develop the children’s characters.

Thus, we have conflicting images of the world of sports—on the one hand, opportunities to develop character; on the other hand, a breeding ground for bad influences.

Despite what I have read about the darker side of the world of sports, I still believe sports can help people—children or adults—develop character. I write this not just because the Bible itself uses sportsmanship as a metaphor for the spirit in which Christians must strive for sanctity (see, for example, Philippians 3: 13-14, 2 Timothy 2: 5, and 2 Timothy 4:6-8). I write it because during law school and for a few years after, I trained in karate as a way to deal with stress. I therefore know from experience what it takes to advance from one belt to the next, and I have seen first-hand in my classmates who win tournaments what it takes to win.

Excelling in sports demands the practice of the traits of basic human goodness, also known as “virtues.” Sports training demands the practice of prudence (e.g., listening to advice from one’s coach and making the right decisions when the demands of one’s sport and the demands of one’s family, studies or job conflict with each other), justice (e.g., abiding by the rules of the game and giving the referees, the coach and one’s teammates their due respect), temperance (e.g., delaying a water break for a few minutes in order to complete 100 reps of a perfectly executed technique), and fortitude (e.g., to squarely look at one’s opponent in the eye despite one’s fear), among other virtues.

The quest to improve one’s game is, in reality, a struggle to become a better version of oneself. I remember the time one of our karate instructors exhorted us to look straight ahead while practicing a certain technique—pointing to the mirror in front of the dojo and telling us, “The opponent is right there.”

However, while sports training provides opportunities to develop character, whether athletes apply the lessons learned in sports to other aspects of their lives is an entirely different thing altogether. When they fail to do this, they could forget what sports are all about and become vulnerable to corruption. It is tragic to witness athletes fall from grace not just because they disappoint millions of fans who look up to them as role models, but also because it is tragic that someone who has won many games would lose in the one game that matters—the game of life.

Sports are good, but only if athletes remain total sports persons not just during their games but all the time. A line from one of the best sports movies, “Cool Runnings,” sums it up: “If you’re no good without a medal, you’re no good with it.” Aspiring athletes, their parents and their coaches should keep this in mind, if we want sports to be a source not just of national pride but of the best examples of humanity.

Meanwhile, my admiration for Pacquiao remains undiminished by his most recent defeat. Pacquiao has the soul of a champion, and although he does not always win in the arena, he has what it takes to win both in the arena and in the game of life. May it always remain that way.

Cristina A. Montes graduated from the Master en Derecho de la Globalizacion e Integracion Social program of the Universidad de Navarra in Spain. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in laws and in humanities (specializing in philosophy) from the University of the Philippines and the University of Asia and the Pacific, respectively.