Good morning!
These past two weeks, I was something of a winter Olympics junkie thanks to YouTube TV (which I highly recommend you check out) and the ability to record everything automatically and then go back and cherry-pick what to watch (hello, Curling!).
Some of the best action I saw was in the two-man bobsled competition. The winner was determined by the combined time of each team’s four runs. The German team (or one of them, anyway) sat in first place after posting their final time. They stood nervously, watching the TV monitor as the world champions from Canada raced down the course on their final chance for gold. Miraculously, a total of 3 miles of racing came in at a dead heat. The Canadians had matched the Germans and there would be two gold medal winners.
What happened next really choked me up.
The German team, after learning that they had been tied by the Canadians, raced over and joined in the exuberant congratulations. They could not have been happier! It was an extraordinary display of sportsmanship. I mean, they were genuinely happy, almost as happy as if they had wanted outright. All I could think of was, “I hope those four guys stay up all night celebrating together!”
Recently, I was on the phone with a Philadelphia Eagles fan and we talked about their victory over my Patriots in the Super Bowl. He told me how impressed he was that so many fans called into the sports radio shows he listens to and congratulate the Eagles fan base, from New England! Again, outstanding sportsmanship.
One more example and then I’ll get my point: When the Boston Bruins retired Phil Esposito’s jersey, his number (7) was still being worn by Ray Bourque. It had been agreed by both men that Bourque would continue to have that number until he, too, retired. The Bruins held a ceremony and Esposito talked about how proud he was to share #7 with such a great defenseman. At that moment, Bourque skated over, took off the jersey, and handed it to Esposito. Underneath, he wore a second jersey. This one with his new number: 77. Esposito was completely overwhelmed and called it the classiest thing he’d ever seen.
To my point…
Encouragement goes a long way in life. Whether it’s writing a note to a new sales rep, thanking a pressman for their fine work, or complimenting a waitress for great service, there is always a way to root for someone else. It’s free and it’s a gift that goes a long way.
