What drives excellence in sports, drives innovation and change — heart.

 4 min read

This past month, from North America to South Asia, from Japan to Australia and New Zealand, a series of sporting events captivated large swathes of the world. What we witnessed reminded me of a film I saw about Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman. Speaking about Steve Prefontaine — arguably, America’s most influential runner- his coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman said:

“Of course, he wanted to win. Those who saw him compete, and those who competed against him were never in any doubt how much he wanted to win. But how he won mattered to him more. Pre thought I was a hard case. But he finally got it through my head that the real purpose of running isn’t to win a race. It’s to test the limits of the human heart. That he did… Nobody did it more often. Nobody did it better.”

Bowerman may well have been speaking about what we have been witnessing:

• Rapinoe, Morgan, and the US Women’s Football team winning the World Cup Final playing a hard, disciplined game. And on their journey there, generating a considerable momentum in the pay equality movement.
• Working mom Serena Williams reaching the women’s Wimbledon final and stopping short of a baby’s breath of her 34th Grand Slam. The win would officially put her as the winner of most Grand Slamsever, cementing her status as one of the best tennis players in the history of the game
• The unbelievable genius of Roger Federer playing a surreal and often absurd 5-hour Wimbledon final against an unrelenting Novak Djokovic, and showing us once again that no one is going to tell him when it’s time for him to stop playing
• The World Cup Cricket teams — India, England, and New Zealand — showing us what it takes to work as a time to win, and since someone has to lose, how to lose.

Later listening to Rapinoe speak at the NY Parade, I wondered — the excellence exhibited by these players is bound to elicit our esteem, but why does it move us to emotion and passion? And we’re not talking here about the business of sport, just the pure act of participating in a sporting activity.

I’m curious what stood out for you! Here are 5 reasons that bubbled up for me:

1. Because above all, sports asks us — do you have the heart to be great? For the first time in nearly 27 years, England shows up as a teamthat plays well together and steals the World Cup (cricket) trophy from a disciplined, resilient New Zealand team in what was truly a nerve shredding final. Djokovic wasferocious at Wimbledon. After choking in multiple finals, Simona Halep is tougher than the formidable Serena this time. And this.
2. Sports makes us better changemakers. This is not a new theme. Jill Vialet talks about the power of play. Ashoka Fellow Jim Thompson — a sports coach –launched Positive Coaching Alliance to develop ‘better athletes, better people’. Molly Barker , a yogi and a four-time Ironman triathlete, launched Girls on the Run, empowering girls — across all communities — to grow up joyful, healthy and confident through an experienced-based curriculum with running at its core.
3. Sports is a shared language connecting our humanity. While so much of international law is to be written still, “Sport is truly the only area of human existence which has achieved universal law,” says IOC president Thomas Bach. “We are all the same and respect the same rules.” Stepping back in time for just a minute, we recollect this moment with Nelson Mandela.
4. Values matter. Be outrageous. Rapinoe. Colin Kaepernick. Serena. LeBron. In a world playing for the lowest common denominator, they recognize the need to act to realize the promise of the ideals of justice, equality, and fairness.
5. We are own heroes. Mostly, by doing what they do, by playing hard, and playing well, and acting in shared humanity, these sporting greats inspire and effectively seed hope. Their moments of glory and activism on difficult issues can spark the movements, but these sparks are also directed at us. If these movements are to succeed, it’s a challenge for us to do more and be better. That’s one way to manifest EACH!

This post is skewed towards the sports I follow/l know, but the same story plays out across others. We may not rise to the elite performance and athleticism we witness, but these moments of pure joy, inspiration, and excellence so often shine a light on our best selves and the possibilities of what might be when we show up every day with the biggest hearts and as our best selves.

May your summer be filled with the joy of your favorite sport!