Losses in sports can be devastating. The Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs, both losers of Game 7s in this season’s NBA Playoffs, can attest to that.
Life places sports disappointments in perspective.
Two days prior to my flight home to California this past weekend, my grandfather had been alive. Late last Wednesday night his body – a body ravaged by cancer – gave in. The long-time golfer closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, his wife and dogs by his side.
Sadness soon changed to joy.
Roughly three hours later and one city away, a former basketball coach and his wife awoke at 3 a.m. She was experiencing contractions. They headed to the hospital, where hours later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Days later I held her in my arms, a symbol of life’s good fortunes. What had started as a trip to say good-bye to an ailing grandfather turned into an opportunity to welcome a new life into the world.
If only it was all that simple.
My grandmother, longing for her husband’s corny jokes, mourns the loss of a loved one. The reminders around their household are plenty – photos, golf memorabilia, a big-screen television. I spoke to him for the final time two weeks ago. My grandmother spoke next, concerned, but my grandfather remained optimistic.
I last saw him over the Christmas break. He appeared healthy then, enjoying a six-month reprieve from his one-year battle with the disease. He, like others before him, had a new grasp on life. He drove again and bought a new truck.
Sports always highlights the feel-good stories of athletes returning to the court following near-career-ending injuries. Sean Elliott and Alonzo Mourning both returned to the NBA following kidney transplants.
My grandfather experienced his short-lived recovery on a simpler level.
Sadly, the cancer returned.
His passing illustrated the greatest connection a person can have through the far-reaching nature of sports. Few other subjects carry the worldwide interest sports do. Mention Michael Jordan anywhere and people likely would know who he is. Talk about the New York Yankees and individuals will argue passionately.
My grandfather oozed golf. Drop the word golf to him, and it started a lengthy conversation.
Sports carry memories of old teammates and friends gained. Favorite coaches become long-term friends. Lasting impressions are created from daily practices and long bus rides. When an old coach has his first child, as my junior high coach did last week, it creates a connection extending beyond the basketball court.
It creates an opportunity to share a bond more important than rebounds or made baskets. When a relative passed away suddenly, the birth of a child made the tie between a coach and his former pupil all the more valuable.