Be Aware 
"Ole… ole, ole, ole!"
Sport is frequently referred to as a microcosm, a tiny space representing a far larger reality, wherein man has for the ages been able to uncover and celebrate models of excellence.
We uphold and admire the traits of legendary sportsmen and women, and when we think of the athletes who epitomise these traits, we find the lessons that we love from sports.
The lessons and names found here merely represent a starting list of sporting greats, and the life lessons they have given us to cherish.
Lesson One: Be an all-around athlete. All great sporting characters have developed multiple skills.
From the graceful yet deceptively powerful Roger Federer in tennis, to boxing's Muhammad Ali who could 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee', every dominant player of a given sport had to develop skills and characteristics in every facet of his game.
In soccer, many of the greatest players were versatile midfielders, able to read plays, understand their teammates, thwart attacks and initiate effective counterattacks.
Some names that come to mind are: Roy Keane (Manchester United), Maradona (Argentina) and Zinadine Zidane (France, Real Madrid). They are considered the greatest football players ever.
Lesson Two: Beat the odds. The most inspiring stories in sports have been about the great comebacks.
Midway through a National Hockey League Hall of Fame career, Mario Lemieux (ice hockey), battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - a type of blood cancer - and successfully returned after intensive radiotherapy to captain his hockey team. Despite missing a significant number of games, his team finished the 1992-93 season first overall in the league, with a record 17-game winning streak.
Another remarkable story belongs to Ben Hogan. He is, until today, admired by the professional golfing world as the greatest ball striker of all time. His career (1938-59) was interrupted twice – first by World War Two, and then by a near-fatal accident (1949).
In February 1949, Hogan and his wife survived a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus. He would have been killed, if not for the fact that he threw his body in front of his wife to protect her, and in the ensuing impact, the steering column punctured the driver's seat. Suffering multiple fractures, he was told that he would likely never walk again.
Hogan did more than walk again.
In 1953, he won five out of the six tournaments he entered - a feat that has not been matched since - including three major championships. There are no fitting adjectives to describe his achievement.
Lesson Three: Develop longevity and consistency. Halls of Fame for sports are not filled with one-hit wonders. To be remembered as a legend in sport, athletes have to endure and excel.
Another lesson that we learn from this is to keep track of sporting statistics. Beyond the numbers, however, stand amazing stories as we look at how star players set scoring and defensive records, or how a goalkeeper can average the lowest goals-scored-against, season after season.
Names such as Michael Jordan (basketball), Peter Schmeichel (football) and Wayne Gretzky (ice hockey) come to mind.
At the individual level, we have witnessed the careers of athletes like Jimmy Connors (tennis), Lance Armstrong (cycling) and Juli Inkster (golf). All these greats showed us how they maintained long, successful careers, working constantly to improve themselves, overcome health issues, and win championships at the elite level.
Lesson Four: Give back to society. Famous athletes have established charity foundations which benefit worthy causes. They have also donated their time or name to raise awareness of important social issues. For example, many would be familiar with the yellow wristbands made popular by the Livestrong Foundation.
Also worthy of mention is Terry Fox, a Canadian “humanitarian, athlete and cancer research activist”. Terry Fox's Wikipedia entry is recommended reading. Locally, we have James Wong (Track & Field) shouldering the responsibility of athletes giving back.
In 2005, The Wall Street Journal published a list of top athletes and their involvement in charity.
Lesson Five: There is nothing more important than family, and nurturing the next generation.
It is safe to say that sportsmen find significant motivation from their family. Almost every thank you speech by a champion after a winning performance contains an acknowledgement and tribute to his or her family.
Closer to home, our current crop of local greats are family men (or women). Think of Mardan Mamat (golf), Fandi Ahmad (football), and Li Jiawei (table tennis).
Before the start of each English Premier League match, players march out to the field hand-in-hand with a child in full kit. This ritual symbolises something that we truly appreciate, that sport contains so many values – values worthy enough for us as Dads for Life to impart to our children.
What are your favourite life lessons from sports? Who are the athletes who, in your opionion, exemplify those lessons? Which sports stories do you enjoy telling your kids?
Share it with your fellow dads on our Forum, or on the Dads for Life Facebook Page.
Further reading:
Terry Fox Foundation: http://www.terryfox.org/
Ben Hogan’s World Golf Hall of Fame Profile: http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/hof/member.php?member=1061
Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation: http://www.livestrong.org/
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About the Author: The Dads for Life Resource Team comprises local content writers and experts, including psychologists, counsellors, educators and social service professionals, dedicated to developing useful resources for dads.
