Running Life's Race: Stories of Sports and Faith for All Seasons
High school example
21 - SECURE FOOTING
Refuel:
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
Proverbs 10:9
Competitive sports harbor plenty of examples of dishonest situations—not deception as a justifiable part of the game, such as ‘trick plays’—rather, situations in which a player or coach tries to wrongfully influence the sport culture or outcome of a particular game. Notable examples include videotaping the opponent’s coaching signals from an unauthorized location (Bill Belichick, New England Patriots, 2007), and a coach falsifying a resume to spruce up credentials (George O’Leary, Notre Dame, 2001).
Fortunately, amidst examples that reflect negatively on sport, are exemplary situations displaying someone’s integrity. In 2005 Adam Van Houten showed remarkable integrity in the Ohio High School Division II state golf tournament. He completed the 36-hole contest with a score of 144, besting the next player by six strokes. However, after signing his scorecard he noticed something wrong. One of his playing partners recorded a 5, instead of a 6, for his 10th-hole score. He notified officials of the error, knowing it would result in immediate disqualification.
What might the alternative have been? Adam could have just let it slide; an innocent error made by someone else. Would anyone have noticed or even cared for that matter? After all, he was clearly the best player with a formidable margin of six strokes. Didn’t he deserve to take home the trophy and write his name in the record books? Apparently for Adam, a larger question loomed: What kind of footing did he want to stand on? In Proverbs chapter 10, Solomon contrasts those who do and do not display integrity by the steps they take. Adam chose to step with secure footing. Having signed the card, he accepted the responsibility for the mistake, instead of pointing a finger at a fellow golfer. The unselfish act resulted in a Sports Illustrated Sportsmanship of the Decade award five years later. More importantly, those who establish a pattern of righteous living are more equipped to continue living with integrity (Pr 13:6). Be sure your footing is secure.
Reflect:
Do you think Adam should have corrected the error? Why or why not? What consequences would he have experienced if he ignored the error?
Was it just for Adam to lose the state title?
In terms of demonstrating integrity, how secure is your footing?
Respond:
Heavenly Father, help me identify times I am tempted to bend the rules. Cause me to hide your word in my heart so I might not sin against you. Keep me from falling to temptation so I can show integrity, regardless of the outcome.
Busbee, J. (2010, January 25). Golfer’s honesty costs state title, wins sportsmanship award [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/
Golfer-s-honesty-costs-state-title-wins-sportsm?urn=golf, 215478
2007 New England Patriots videotaping controversy. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 3, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_England_Patriots_
videotaping_controversy
Fountain, J. W., & Wong, E. (2001, December 15). Notre Dame coach resigns after 5 days and a few lies. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/15/sports/notre-dame-coach-resigns-after-5-days-and-a-few-lies.html