How The Rules of Sports Solve The Problems of Life
Learning the rules of sport prepare you for life and make you a better winner too
“Rules, there are no rules!”
was a famous line for the 1978 movie Greece that was set in 1950’s America starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. It was about peer pressure and the High school gang mentality. The quote referred to a car race the two rival gangs were going to have in a bid to outfox one another and claim popularity within their school.
Although it was a hit movie and one I watched a couple of times when I was a child I couldn’t help but wonder even then how stupid the whole plot was.
Of course, when you`re younger than the main characters of Danny and Sandy surely you`d be wondering how awesome it would be to drive fast cars and race enemies to gain the popular chicks?
But for me back then I was so sports-mad that I realized by the time I reached their age group that none of that kind of behavior would matter to me as instead I`d be tucked up in bed early each night and ready to play ball the next day.
Gangs and Groups Decision Making:
Sure, it was cool to see the good guy Danny get the gorgeous foreign girl Sandy because I was rooting for his gang the T-Birds as they seemed a nicer group of fellas rather than their arch-enemy of the Scorpions who didn’t seem too productive or even friendly.
But that’s because I loved to be part of a team. Even as a sporty child I could see myself in the characters’ role when watching movies like Greece and you end asking yourself:
“What would I do if I was in that same situation?”
And as I never had a 1949 Dodge Wayfarer or a 1948 Studebaker Commander Regal but knew what it was to be a leader in sport I could imagine myself being like Danny or a team member like the other boys in the T Birds. And the truth is without some form of a common understanding of normal to guide people by then a gang or team is not united by any common purpose.
Decisions that are made must be agreed upon by the majority of the group, and that’s why a leader is required to oversee what’s good for the team or not.
This is where rules and referees are not just needed but are very helpful.
Rules Protect Against Anarchy:
Having rules means that competition can be judged with honor.
Without some form of rules, everyone in life would be going after what they want and not considering anyone else. Okay, that may get you to progress in life but at what cost?
The vast majority of people will know that you`ve stepped on other people’s passions and opportunities just to get what you want. People don’t like this. So you`ll end up doing well, but no one will admire that.
There’s an unwritten code in life that pertains to the good character that we all, in our own ways, strive to live up to.
Some follow religions, some feel the law is the answer, but most just muddle on by trying to do what they can in life whilst not putting others too much out of their way in return.
The same is true in sport. Sport requires rules so that a game can be played fairly with most people in mind. As sportspeople try to perform to their best within the rules of each game they realize that their efforts will be respected by their team when they victor, by the opposition for being fair, and by all followers for having a good character while winning the game.
Why Sports Rules Must Mimic Life:
From the first day of school in any classroom around the world, little children have to understand that what they do must be within the rules of the classroom.
Without rules, fairness cannot occur and a child’s opinion, loudest voice, or strongest body will rule the roost. And this ignores their ability to learn and to improve. The selling point for a small child to play by the teacher’s rules is that the teacher can make them a smarter character.
And that’s what a dominant character likes, the opportunity to get better so they can have the chance to dominate for longer.
In sport, the greatest players and leaders understand this tradeoff too. They know that if they abide by most rules over a longer period that more often than not their dominance can still outwit the opposition and the rules can end up favoring them instead of holding them back.
How Leaders Of Teams Use Rules To Dominate:
And if leaders figure this out early on they’ll get the most from their teams during the competition.
In doing so they’ll give themselves the best chance of victory, not just now, but over the longer term too. The results of the majority of competitions that they compete in will see them driving off into the sunset like Danny and Sandy to the echoes of:
“We Go Together”
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