Faithfully yours - Sports stars I highly respect

Details

Published on Sunday, September 17, 2017

Neil Strohschein
The Neepawa Banner

As you read these words, I will be sitting in a bus en route to Minneapolis, Minnesota. My wife and I, along with a family friend, are spending this weekend watching the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays play baseball.

We’ll be hanging out in the right field bleachers at Target Field. Hopefully, the weather will be nice and the games will be well-played. Since I am a fan of both teams, I will be happy whoever wins; but please don’t tell my wife I said that. She’s a die-hard Blue Jays fan.

The world of professional sports has changed a lot in the last 50 years. The skills required to make it to the big leagues are still the same. But the salaries one can earn are much higher, as are the risks of a career ending or life threatening injury.

That is why John Urschel (26) of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens has abruptly ended his career in professional football. His reasons were simple. He is working on a PhD in Mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has a bright future ahead of him in that field and is eager to complete his training, graduate and begin his career. He is also engaged to be married and is awaiting the birth of his first child this coming December.

Urschel’s concern is a common one among NFL and NHL players. Many are fearful of the long term consequences they could suffer thanks to repeated head trauma (a.k.a. concussions). So, even though he admitted that this was the hardest decision he ever made, Urschel said it was the right decision for him and his family; and everyone, from the Ravens’ top management on down, is showing him nothing but the highest amount of respect for making this decision.

In baseball, the injuries may be different, but they can be just as devastating. A blister on a finger can put a pitcher on disability list—just ask the Blue Jays’ Aaron Sanchez. Back spasms, pulled or torn muscles, twisted knees and sprained ankles can put a player out of action for weeks, months, an entire season or permanently. There are no guarantees in professional sports.

So I have a great deal of admiration for those who, after years in minor sports, college sports and the minor professional leagues, finally make it to “The Big Show;” as they like to call playing in the major leagues. I highly respect them for the hours of hard work they put in every day—sharpening their skills, studying the game, staying in shape and balancing life as a professional athlete with life at home as a partner, parent, neighbor and friend. And, I applaud them for the many hours of entertainment they provide their loyal fans, of whom I am one.

But those for whom I have the greatest respect are those who use their position and the status it brings to make a positive impact in society. I am always encouraged when I see professional athletes “give back” to the communities that gave so much to them in their formative years. The clinics they conduct in small communities, the visits to hospitals and care homes, the donations to local projects and the charitable foundations they establish will bring hope, help and healing to people long after the stars themselves have ended their professional careers.

These are the people I want my grandchildren to know about; and these are the people whose examples I hope they will follow.