Terry Foster: Athletics Isn't Always Pretty And Friendly
By Terry Foster
The Family Deal
Grosse Pointe Park – St. Clare of Montefalco honored some of its young athletes during a morning church service I was happy to be part of. I read a scripture Sunday morning and listened to former Red Wing Darren McCarty talk about his triumphs and pain as a professional athlete.
McCarthy battled many demons and found that faith and love got him through the rough parts of his life. My life did not mirror his at all but his talk got me to thinking about an incident as a youth. I was part of a church league youth basketball program and I thought players hated me.
I was about 10 years old and was new to the group, trying to fit in. Players called me names and knocked me to the floor. It was tough competition in a second floor gym in a church that was later burned to the ground near my old Detroit neighborhood.
This gym also had a stage at one end for concerts and plays. One day I was driving toward the hoop, got knocked down and hit my head on the edge of the stage. I don't think I was knocked out but I heard a buzzing in my ear and the voices I heard appeared to be slow, muffled and off in a distance.
I was in a difference place.
"Are you OK?"
"Can you get up?"
These were the distant voices of concerned players I thought hated me. Someone got me water. Someone else ran for help. I had a big lump on my head and was woozy. I sat out the rest of the game and a couple of the players walked me home to make sure I was OK.
I discovered something that day. Those players did not hate me. They were competing. They wanted to win just as badly as I did. Athletics isn't always pretty and friendly. If you want to win you sometimes have to be nasty.
In Detroit you learned to stand your ground or you get trampled.
My grandmother always told me that Detroit was a tough town. People would hit you over the head and steal your money but made sure you had enough bus fare to get home. My competitors in the church league knocked me in the head also. But when I was at my lowest point they took care of me.
I returned to the church league a week later. The games were just as competitive. We fought and battled and called each other names. But I knew these guys had my back if I were in trouble again. I had theirs also and the league seemed to be more fun after that incident.
(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsradio.com. Twitter: TerryFoster971)
