Cameron Crazies Understood

I think if you saw the pregame prayer on ESPN when Duke honored Dean Smith you saw why sports is such a great avenue  of entertainment.  Both North Carolina and Duke coaches, players managers and team doctors all  knelt to one knee for a moment of silence for one of the greatest colleges basketball coaches of all time.  The Cameron Crazies student were in total silence for a man that not one student in the crowd ever saw coach a game against Duke.

Sports is a way to go in all out combat against another player or team that when the game ends both sides can walk away in most cases healthy ready to play another day.  While that combat is in progress you learn to respect your opponent because they can do on certain plays their objective better than you can.  All during a game each side goes back and forth winning and losing each play and then all of a sudden time runs out and the game is over.

One sides celebrates a great victory while the other side suffers a great loss.  There is always next game to help you get over the pain of a loss and for the winner he had better be on his game or the next game will be  a loss for him.

The generals in sports are the coaches.  Some generals win more battles than others.  When two great generals collide it is like a chess match moving players here and there to help your side win.  Despite how much Duke says they hate Carolina or Carolina says they hate Duke there is an understanding on both sides that both schools have  great weaponry not only for this upcoming battle but every time you have ever met.  You respect what they have, what they have had and what they will have when the next battle occurs.

Sports is the recognition  that a player or coach or team can beat me at times but at times I can beat him. In order to do what he does I know he will win battles against me and I will win some off him.  Sports is also the denial that while I am playing him I can not tell him he is beating me.  If he knows I know he is winning then he has really won while the battle rages.  I can't  let him have one second of admission by me that he is winning.  I can do that when it is over.

We as fans can be involved for one side or the other but we too must also know that we can't let my neighbor think he is winning while the game is in progress or even more the buildup leading up to the game.  I can't let him think that he knows I know he's going to win.

Wednesday both sides acknowledged at the same time that one of the great generals was a great general something we couldn't say while he was coaching because if we acknowledge he was he had us beat.  Those students ever how loud they can be understood that a giant of a man who coached for the other side needed their respect and they gave it.

You may remember I have spoke of this before when leaving Carter-Finley  after Carolina had won 17-9.  Right this second I forget the year.  The game had gone down to the wire so every fan was there to the last second.  Filing out took some time and I looked back and saw several players on both sides on one knee at mid field praying together.  I made the comment then that is what is so special about sports you could fight hard during the game but when it is over shake hands, pray together or go have a beer together.

Wednesday night was one of those moments that I was glad I got to see it but it would have been that much better to have been in the building to live it.  Then I could have been part of the 2 million people thirty years from now will say " I was there the night Duke honored Dean Smith".