The Way It Should Be

There are many problems in sports these days. Whether it be athletes that are getting paid an exorbitant amount of money or athletes that are complete idiots or having a brush with the law. Whether it be the price of tickets to see your favourite team or whether that player on your favourite team is drug-free, we all know sports is not what it used to be. One of the things I love about the game is the raw emotion you see---especially in the amateur ranks. A perfect example of this happened yesterday at the Little League World Series with Canada's team front and center.

The Canadian kids from East Vancouver were playing Germany in what was the last game for both at the event. For some of these kids, it may be the biggest thing they ever do in their lives when it comes to athletics. The Canadians led 10-2 after 5 innings and it seemed as there would be nothing too newsworthy about this game. Hold the phone. The Germans came back with an 11 run 5th inning to take a 13-10 lead. However, Canada came back and they won the game 14-13 as they scored three times in their last at-bat to get the win.

This game was on TSN and it had it all. The highs and lows, the celebration, the disappointment. The Canadian kids were happier than you know what, but you could see those smiles turn into frowns as the Germans came back to tie it and eventually take the lead. What was happiness had soon turned to shock and disappointment. The Canadian kids never gave up and turned the emotions around again sending them into a state of euphoria with their opponents having that spaced out look on their face wondering what was going on.

It was a tremendous game to watch and it was a very compelling game to watch. Games like this don't come around every day and its special when you see it. As I said, this is the biggest thing some of these players will ever do. Its a game they will talk about for years. In Canadian sports lore, it won't even come close to what Jordan Eberle did in Ottawa at the World Juniors last year, but to those kids and to those watching, it was just as big---at least on this day.

It was sports the way its meant to be played and perceived. I wish we could only see more of it. Then again, if we did, it might not mean as much as it does when we get reminders from time to time of what could be.