The Sideline Fix

Perhaps you have seen the video already, that moment that has gone viral. A batter is struck in the head by an errant pitch and falls to the ground. The pitcher is brought to tears. The batter gets up and goes to give the pitcher a hug. The video of that moment is shared again and again.

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To me the virality of the incident means millions of people found it remarkable and thought it interesting or important enough to share to with other people. Why? Well, many outlets have labeled it as a moment of sportsmanship. But I want to dive deeper. I believe it is because it was unexpected, and that saddens me.

I think we have grown accustomed to competition being cutthroat. I guess we have heard too many cases of coaches instructing their players to intentionally injure others. We have seen batters storm the mound after being hit by and errant pitch. We see players spring up after a hard foul set on revenge.  But here, in this example, we have a pitcher who is tormented by the idea that he may have seriously injured an opponent. (That opponent, who is okay, wants to ensure the pitcher knows he’s fine. He is not angry with him. He approached the mound, but it was to offer a consoling hug.

The video provides clear examples of care and compassion. A pitcher who is concerned he may have caused a life-altering injury and a batter who has the empathy to recognize the emotions the pitcher might be experiencing. Yes, it was a beautiful moment. It was a very human moment, but it should not feel remarkable. It should just be the nature of the game.

I imagine both of these players didn’t just happen to have these qualities by magic; they were developed. I would like to suggest we can all do a better job to make sure all our athletes develop these qualities of care and compassion by making sure we design our sport programs more in line with the tenets of sport-based youth development.

If you are looking to learn more about how to do that, stay tuned to this blog and have a look around at what I have already posted.

Thanks for stopping by.