The Politics of Team Sports
Before track & field and cross country, as a child I played other organized sports, including basketball and soccer. Unfortunately my passion for those sports (but not athletics as a whole) dwindled in high school.
And it had nothing to do with the sports themselves, but rather it involved the politics associated with team sports like them. Time spent off the bench and on the court/field depended more on the player's (and the player's parents) connection to the coaching staff than the player's documented performance. And the tryouts felt like a popularity contest; networking appeared to play a larger role in fulfilling the requirements than actual merit.
Hence, I drifted away from team-focused sports and gravitated toward the sport of running. And I fell in love with the sport because, for the most part, it did not require relying on the performances of my teammates to achieve success. Nor did it preoccupy my mind with politics taking place off the course. Alternatively, it prioritized individual execution, propelled by strength and toughness.
And it had nothing to do with the sports themselves, but rather it involved the politics associated with team sports like them. Time spent off the bench and on the court/field depended more on the player's (and the player's parents) connection to the coaching staff than the player's documented performance. And the tryouts felt like a popularity contest; networking appeared to play a larger role in fulfilling the requirements than actual merit.
Hence, I drifted away from team-focused sports and gravitated toward the sport of running. And I fell in love with the sport because, for the most part, it did not require relying on the performances of my teammates to achieve success. Nor did it preoccupy my mind with politics taking place off the course. Alternatively, it prioritized individual execution, propelled by strength and toughness.
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