From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
Earlier this summer the world’s most popular sport, soccer, took centre stage in Russia for the men’s World Cup.
Although not as popular here in North America as elsewhere in the world, nevertheless, it is a signature event in sport.
midst all the great goals, upsets, and roaring crowds there was something that happened that was so rare that it almost got missed.
In the playoff game between Japan and Belgium, the heavily-favoured Belgian squad came back from a deep 2-0 hole to stun Japan and win 3-2 in the closing moments of the game.
You would expect the Japanese fans to behave like most fans whose team lost a big game: jeer, loot, and participate in vandalism.
However, that was not the scene that played out.
In the aftermath of the revelry on the field there were the classy Japanese fans, garbage bags in hand, cleaning up the stands where they had previously viewed the game.
Such an admirable display of sportsmanship stands in sharp contrast to the whining, complaining, and faking of injuries fans had to endure from some of the players on the team.
This is eye-catching integrity.
Somewhere someone described integrity as “who you are when nobody is watching.”
These fans, lost in the shuffle of the celebration on the field by the team that defeated theirs, simply went about the thankless but necessary duty of removing the post-game rubbish.
It may not have grabbed the biggest headlines but it sure did send a signal that there is more to sport than what happens on the field.
As we say good-bye to summer and get set to return to work and school routines, let’s take thought of the ways that we can do that little bit extra, when nobody’s watching, but will make a clear difference in the long run.
