What Did You Watch on TV?

On the first Friday of the recent mid-winter break, our youngest son was diagnosed with strep throat. While he struggled through that diagnosis, he also caught a mild case of the flu. What was to be a relaxing and fun few days away from the regular school grind turned into a slow march toward recovery, that spanned his entire vacation.

Needless to say, we spent some time in front of our television. As we did, we witnessed two events related to sports that could not have been more polar opposites: The Houston Astros' "apology" and the Memorial for Kobe Bryant.

What struck me most about the Astros' press conference was the stilted, stuffy language. It was carefully crafted and all but empty of any feeling or emotion. From the players to the new manager to the owner, there was no feeling of earnestness. There was no feeling of genuine remorse. There was no sense that there was a real grasp of what had taken place.

In contrast, when we watched the memorial service, you could not help but be moved by what was taking place on the screen. For Vanessa Bryant to eulogize not only her husband but her child as well, demonstrated strength, I hope I never have to summon. Regardless of what you do or do not believe, natural law tells us that our children should outlive us.

In addition to Mrs. Bryant, in perhaps what I might offer was his most beautiful public moment of a professional basketball career, already laden with superlatives, Michael Jordan spoke eloquently and openly about how he was feeling. He shed tears openly, quipping, "Now he's got me. I'm going to have to look at another crying meme." Jordan referred to Bryant as a brother and noted how a piece of him has died as well.

The two events could not have been further apart from each other. One the one hand, one organization, was trying to move forward from a cheating scandal that impacted the outcomes of baseball games. The other organization was trying to grapple with the loss of a player whose life touched so many, both on and off the court. Perhaps it is unfair to compare them, but I think there is a lesson in this.

Perhaps if the Astros had been more genuine with their words, their words would have landed. Maybe if they had admitted their complicity without so many qualifications, they could have put this behind them. Perhaps if the press conference included more moments of courage and strength, we would not be concerned that it could happen again.

The memorial service was a lesson in the resolve of the human spirit. In the light that can shine during some of our darkest moments. The notion that the heroes we uplift all too often are just as mortal as we are, landed as squarely in our hearts just as the tears that fell on the face of Micheal Jordan.

We herald sports figures in this country in a way that is lopsided and wrong. I admit that I do it as well. It is a part of our culture that is unhealthy at times, and yet, sports can also bring us closer together. When we see these sports figures as real people, we can make connections to their humanity. When we can connect to their humanity, we can see who they really are.

For our family, in this case, it's shown us so much more than just a basketball player.

Photo courtesy of www.abcnews.com