The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.
Melissa Falen retired last year as an associate professor at Notre Dame of Maryland University where she was a lacrosse and field hockey coach. She wrote this column for The Baltimore Sun.
After coaching college athletics for several decades, I suppose it is not surprising that I tend to see sports analogies in many aspects of life. Politics is no exception. I could not help but see the recent debacle in the U.S. House of Representative through this lens. Congress, in particular the House, might fare better if the members adhered to some basic sports lessons that I have learned over the years.
Honor the game. The sport is bigger than any one person or any one team. All participants should respect the game or, in the case of Congress, the institution and the Constitution. “Country over party” is often how this sentiment is expressed, but it seems to be largely missing in today’s political landscape.
Digging a little deeper, it also means to play by the rules, don’t cheat and don’t play dirty or retaliate — even when the opponent does. It requires holding oneself to a higher standard and thus “honoring the game.” To be clear, defending oneself is not the same as retaliation. There are legitimate tactics and rules in sports and in our country, to address cheaters and those who play dirty. Retaliation is never a good option. It is a distraction and takes focus away from team goals. In sports, the first foul is often missed but the retaliatory foul is almost always caught. In politics, all parties tend to end up with mud on their faces, regardless of who “started it.”
Respect your opponent. This goes well beyond the oft said, “never underestimate your opponent.” At the core, it means always treating the other team and players with dignity and respect. Respecting your opponent requires doing so, no matter what. It means taking the higher road for the good of the game.
My players were always expected to walk the line after a game and shake hands with the other team, no matter how ugly it might have gotten. That is especially hard to do after a loss when the opponent was not respectful. Some might say continuing to give respect in that case is weakness, but I believe it is a demonstration of strength, character, integrity and self-respect.
Do not fight in front of the other team. This is akin to “don’t air your dirty laundry.” Doing so shows the opponent a weakness and distracts from the ultimate team goals. Whenever I saw an opposing team start to bicker among themselves on the field, I knew our chances of winning the game instantly increased, and I reminded my players to stay focused on our goals, not the opponents’ dysfunction.
Hold players and coaches accountable. This is a big one. There must be consequences for not following the rules. If I had a player who did not follow our team’s rules or the basic principles above, there would be repercussions, such as coming out of the game or being benched. For repeated violations, a player might see little to no game time or no longer have the privilege of being on the team.
Being on a team, much like serving in Congress, is indeed a privilege. Equally important, accountability and consequences must be applied consistently and fairly to all players regardless of their talent or how valuable they are to the team. A talented player who will not follow the rules and/or consistently puts “self” before “team” is at best, a detriment. At worst, such a player can destroy a team.
Ignoring or overlooking bad behavior only encourages more of it. It can be a difficult decision for a coach to bench or cut a star player, knowing it may cost the team a win or even a season title. However, doing so teaches the right lessons, honors the game, builds character and serves to make the team better and stronger in the long run.
When the rules are broken, members of Congress, just like athletes, must be held accountable. Defending rulebreakers at any cost, for fear of losing a game, or an election, will likely end up costing much, much more. In politics, it may mean losing the public’s faith in the institutions that govern, and ultimately, that could be the end of democracy itself.
