Pat Tillman: Honoring a Hero

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals will duke it out tomorrow night for the biggest prize in the biggest sport on the biggest stage in America. When discussing with my wife, Lori, who we'd be rooting for in the game, I told her I'd be pulling for the Cardinals. I think it's kind of like people wanting to see Barack Obama win the presidency. If he could do it, it gives hope for everyone.

In a similar way, the Cardinals have been arguably the most inept franchise in U.S. professional sports. Outside of this year, they have never been successful in my lifetime. In fact, not in my father's lifetime. They've been just that bad. At times they've made the Detroit Lions look like the Cowboys or Steelers. And now they are one victory away from winning it all.

In the hoopla surrounding their Super Bowl appearance is a story that is probably not getting told enough. And that is the story of Pat Tillman, the former Cardinals player that left fame and riches in the NFL in order to join the U.S. Army following the 9/11 terrorists attacks in 2001. He was killed in combat in Afghanistan nearly five years ago. Had he not voluntarily joined the military he likely would have been suiting up at safety for Arizona tomorrow evening.

Mike Bianchi, a sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, offered a suggestion in today's paper for an appropriate tribute for Tillman -- induct him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My initial response was that Tillman is undeserving of such an honor. His play on the field, although solid and respectable, was not anywhere near the standards for Hall induction. But Bianchi offers a solid argument:

"...what better time than now for those 44 Hall of Fame voters to display the same qualities as Tillman himself once displayed — the desire to go above and beyond what is expected? Go against the grain. Ignore the critics and the criteria. Who cares if Tillman is not on the 17-name list that is to be voted upon today? Why not put him on the ballot as a write-in candidate? Just this once, don't vote on data and statistics, vote on heart and soul. Vote for the guy who made the ultimate contribution: He sacrificed his football career and gave his life. Vote for the man who gave up millions of dollars to defend millions of people. There are murderers, gamblers and drug addicts in the Hall of Fame, so why not a national hero? In a country obsessed with a TV depiction of American Idol, why not give the Pro Football Hall of Fame a real version?"

Why not? Why could Pat Tillman not be inducted into the Hall of Fame? There are other people like sportswriters and sportscasters that were inducted for their overall contribution to the game so why couldn't the same be done for Tillman? An interesting fact that Bianchi mentions is that even though the Cardinals have superstar players on their roster like Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Edgerrin James, Tillman's #40 jersey is still the team's top seller. Even nearly eight years after he played for the team, Tillman still inspires Arizona fans.

I think honoring him in this manner would send a message about the importance of sacrifice, courage and honor. He put a lucrative career to the side in order to fight for a cause much bigger than himself. With so many young people looking up to professional athletes that are all about themselves, wouldn't it be nice to honor someone that was all about others?

The Impact Movement: A Ministry of Changed Lives

As you may know, I have the privilege of helping to give leadership to a ministry by the name of The Impact Movement. It is a dynamic ministry that reaching thousands of young people of African descent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of the current financial realities that our country is facing, our ministry has experienced a serious shortfall in our giving.

We are in the process of inviting our students, alumni and friends of our ministry to join with us through prayer and to consider supporting us financially so that we can continue to see lives changed. I especially invite you to consider your ongoing involvement with Impact if your life was changed through our ministry while you were a college student. Please view the video below to hear how God is working through our ministry and to learn how you can get involved. If the player doesn't show up, please click here.

When Winning Gets You Fired

A couple of little known high schools out of Dallas have been getting an awful lot of national attention after Dallas Covenant School beat Dallas Academy 100-0 in a girls basketball game on January 13th. After what happened in the game began to generate unwanted attention for Covenant, administrators from the school issued an apology.

But coach Micah Grimes felt he had done nothing wrong. Since he refused to apologize for his role in the lopsided outcome he is now looking for a job. Much of the hubbub around the blowout revolves around the fact that Dallas Academy prides itself as place to educate young people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. Although I don't know all the facts of what happened, I have read up on the story and think some perspective is needed.

As one who played competitive athletics throughout my formative years, I'm well aware of competitive sports and the lessons learned from winning and losing. In addition I have several years of coaching under my belt. In fact, I'm currently coaching my third grade son's youth basketball team. So I understand the sports ethic that says that you don't run the score up on an obviously inferior opponent.

However, after considering the facts of this situation, I find it hard to believe that Coach Grimes deserved to lose his job over this. Although some of the details of the game appear sketchy at this point, Grimes had this to say about what happened:

"The game started like any other high school basketball game across the nation. The teams warm-up, coaches talk, the ball is tipped, and then the play begins. We started the game off with a full-court press. After 3 minutes into play, we had already reached a 25-0 lead. Like any rational thinking coach would do, I immediately stopped the full-court press, dropped into a 2-3 zone defense, and started subbing in my 3 bench players. This strategy continued for the rest of the game and allowed the Dallas Academy players to get the ball up the court for a chance to score. The second half started with a score of 59-0. Seeing that we would win by too wide of a margin, running down the clock was the only logical course of action left. Contrary to the articles, there were only a total of four 3-point baskets made; three in the first quarter, and only one in the third quarter. I continued to sub in bench players, play zone defense, and run the clock for the rest of the game. We played fair and honorably within the rules and in the presence of the parents, coaches, and athletic directors for both Covenant School and Dallas Academy.

In response to the statement posted on The Covenant School Website, I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel "embarrassed" or "ashamed". We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy. We honor God, ourselves, and our families when we step on the court to compete. I do not wish to forfeit the game. What kind of example does it set for our children? Do we really want to punish Covenant School girls? Does forfeiting really help Dallas Academy girls? We experienced a blowout almost 4 years ago and it was painful, but it made us who we are today. I believe in the lessons that sports teach us. Competition builds character, and teaches us to value selflessness, hard work, and perseverance. As a coach, I have instilled in my girls these values. So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity."

I wonder what else he was supposed to do when it became apparent that his opponent was over matched. Should he have only played with three players? Should he have called the game at halftime? I can't say that I really know the answer to those questions. But I do know that some of the media exposure that is now being given to Dallas Academy seems unjustified. I watched the team on a national news program yesterday getting interviewed as if they were some sort of heroes. Of course it is to be respected that the girls didn't quit and continued to play hard, but, then again, plenty of teams put forth a good effort only to get beaten by a large margin.

If it comes to light that there was unnecessary taunting in this game, then I would agree it should be addressed. There is no value in humiliating an inferior opponent. But should a team that practices hard and strives to win be punished for doing just that? All-too-often we seek to spare our children from disappointments or hardships in life and, unwittingly, deprive them the opportunity to be shaped through adversity.

As I mentioned, I'm coaching my son's basketball team this winter. We had our first game the other day and lost 38-8. If I had my way, I'd rather we had a closer game but I also know that it gives us something to work for. I will continue to teach our kids about sportsmanship, teamwork, faith and how to have fun through athletics. I teach them to not worry about the score as much about the effort they put forth and the improvement that they're seeing in themselves and as a team. Anytime you keep score you are going to have winners and losers. But a scoreboard doesn't necessarily indicate who the real winners and losers may be.