Remembering the Pain of Losing
Dick Vitale is the love-him-or-hate-him color analyst for ESPN’s college basketball coverage. An argument could be made that he currently is the singular iconic figure in the sport, as his passionate personality has graced games now for 35 years on the network.
His recent 35-year anniversary made waves through interviews and other outlets that I enjoyed reading and hearing. In one interview, I heard a fact from Vitale that I never knew, and it made me think.
He was speaking of how he deals with the end of games that he is calling. One of the great traditions in college basketball is that the coaches and teams line up and shake hands. From the first game of the season https://www.locksmithslocator.com/commercial-locksmiths, right through to the title game, this goes on. It is a good display of sportsmanship on both sides.
Vitale said that, in 35 years of covering games, he never once had watched the winning coach. Instead, as the coaches came together to shake hands, then went through the lines, then walked off the court, he always took the time to watch the coach who had just lost.
Why? Because he remembers the pain of losing.
While he is a celebrity as an on-air personality, Vitale was never a great coach. At the college level, he took Detroit Mercy to the Sweet 16 in 1977 (though it only took one win to get that far in the tournament then), and even he admits that he was not a good fit in the NBA, as coach of the Pistons. In his own personal way, he admits that he has found his place in the broadcasting arena, rather than in coaching.
But Vitale shared that he always watches the losing coach because it brings back so many memories. The 74-year-old said that, had he stayed in coaching, he is firmly convinced he would have been dead by the age of 70, due to the constant swings from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. And, if you’ve ever heard coaches talk, they dwell on the lows far more.
When I heard Vitale’s comment, it made me look back at my past. Before Christ, I was far lower than a coach after a tough loss. I was more than just a loser.
I was dead (Ephesians 2:1), and there was no way out…
…except Jesus.
And I need to remember that, and let it free me to a life of gratitude and praise. I need to let it give me passion for helping others when they struggle. I need to allow it to fill me with an overwhelming joy for the grace and mercy of Christ, because He did not just lead me out of pain; He made me alive.
Take a moment today to remember where you were before Jesus. Look at yourself as you were: not just a loser, but dead…
…and then remember that Christ made you alive!
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Photo credit: Dave Hogg on Creative Commons
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