The real importance of sports

                  I love sports I've loved him from the

time I was a young man I loved him even

though I didn't grow up in a sports

family I think I fell in love with

sports because I saw it as honest if you

can produce you get to play and it was

that simple

I come to you today to talk to you about

maybe it important in sports that we

haven't recognized before I have been

able to do a ton of things because of

sports I was able to represent my

university I was able to become an

all-american I want watches I was in

magazines and all of that pales when we

talk about the importance of what could

be in sports right now

historically there has been four ways

bar bitten by which we raise men in this

country in the home in the church in the

military and in sports cultural changes

have changed the mix on the importance

of how those things work in the home

right now one third of American children

about 15 million children grow up in a

home with no father that's a lot of

young boys growing up without a daily

example of manhood in their home in

church census tells us that less than

20% of American citizens go to church

attended church service on a regular

basis and if social trends in America

follow Europe like they usually do by

2025 the number could be 12 or 13

percent of American citizens attended

church service on a regular basis

because of technology cyber advancement

the current administration's desire to

bring the number of active military down

to its lowest point since World War two

80% of applicants to the military get

turned away not raising a lot of men in

the military either what we're left with

is sports could be the last bastion by

which we give the characteristics and

the virtues with which we raise men in

sports where we learn the virtue of the

huddle where you take north and south

east and west conservative and liberal

black and white you put them in the same

huddle you give them the same color

jersey you give them a common goal you

let them sweat tear up and work hard

together and special things start to

take place where we learn teamwork

community fidelity we care about each

other don't let each other down the old

coach's term that says teams to play for

a great fanbase win a lot of games teams

to play for a great coach win a lot of

games teams that play for each other win

championships it's a concept we could

use in our families right now what about

pride where I'm constantly reminded that

pride is the worst of the seven sins and

I constantly have to remind people

unfortunately I got a lot of it but I

don't think you get anywhere in this

world without some pride without some

passion without some accountability

where pride for me means personal

responsibility in daily excellence

that's my pride

we talk about failure the virtue from

failure sports based in failure

sometimes those under virtues that allow

us to succeed in life because we've

experienced some failure in other places

I wanted to be a national champion I had

been blessed enough to be an

all-american I've done a ton of stuff

but I never been an individual national

champion we get to my senior year we're

at North Carolina State and I have a

shot to be a national champion in a

number of events I get second place I

get third place

so I'm all-american again but I'm not a

national champion and that's what I want

it to be we get to the four by four

relay I'm the anchor and I want it on me

I'm the kid i sat in front of my house

with my walter mitty stories thinking

I'm putting myself in places where I can

be the hero I count it down three-to-one

and shot the basket I wanted to anchor

that four by four relay we get down to

the anchor and I'm waiting like this and

I'm waiting for my guy to bring me the

baton he gives me the baton I take off

running I'm in third place by about 12

or 13 meters within the first 50 meters

I go past the guy in second place

somewhere along the back straight I pull

up next to the guy in first place and

for the life of me I have no idea why I

don't go by him my coach had always told

me if you get up next to him you have to

go by him and make him run your race if

you sit next to him you'll end up

running his I'll run tied with him for

about 200 meters until we get to 50

meters to go I'm closing in about 40

meters to go he starts pulling in front

of me and he's pulling a little further

away from me and finally I'm getting the

notion with about 10 or 15 meters to go

that I'm going to get my team second

place again I was miserable I was

crushed at that moment it was one of the

toughest things I ever had to experience

but you know what I learned from it one

do what your coaches and your teachers

and your parents tell you to do because

they usually know a lot more than you do

if I'd done when I was coached to do

that day I win that race two failures

not permanent failures like a rain cloud

and sometimes it rains on you and you

got to ride it out and three if you

don't internalize it and you don't

personalize it you'll realize it's just

a part of life and you will grow and

become better for it

all those lessons I learned in sports to

manage failure to be in community to

understand the characteristics of

diversity to understand the

interconnected relationship between

preparation and success all of these

virtues that we have learned in so many

other places in life that seemingly we

have to learn in sports now where are we

going to get them from how important the

sports become former Supreme Court

justice Oliver Wendell Holmes probably

more popularized for coining the phrase

clear and present danger also said the

place for any man completing all of his

powers is in the fight and I don't know

if I'm completing all of my powers but

having the opportunity through sports to

fight for the growth and development of

young people when seemingly every

historic fixture around them is breaking

is a fight that I'm honored to be you

thank you very much