My Respect For Sports

By Chad Stroh

As I just finished intramural basketball, I am reflecting on why I love being on a team and how great team sports are for our culture. I was talking to some people from South Korea about the differences between high schools and universities in America compared to those in South Korea. They told me the almost all of the High Schools and Universities don't have school sports or intramurals. They told me that the focus was very much on education. I disagree with this ideology very much. Some of the most educational times in my life have been from being on several different teams. I have grown friendships and broke the boundaries of culture. I have met people that I probably would have never talked to, simply because we share a common bond for the love of a sport. That is a life lesson that can't be taught in schools. This unorganized intramurals team I have been on in the last two weeks has been one of the best teams I have ever been on. The team was called "Individuals" because it was people who signed up in groups of one or two people, but the team was anything but individuals. We made it to the championship game and lost. As I continue to play sports I learn lessons about life, friendship and myself. This is a lot like life. It doesnt matter where you end up, just how you got there.