The Heart of a Leader
It’s quite a time to be a Philly sports fan. The Phillies are going to the World Series, the Eagles are currently 6-0, and the other teams in the city are winning. Who knows what the future holds but we are all enjoying the moment. I don’t know how much time I’ve spent watching clips on twitter of Bryce Harper’s game 5 home run to clinch the pennant along with the reactions in the stands and videos that people have taken in their homes. It might be a few hours and I’m not sad. I love it. I love the story of it. I love to see my team win. It’s exciting.
I was watching one of those videos of fans in the stands losing their minds during the ‘Bedlam at the Bank” and the thought hit me as it does from time to time: “what does this really matter?” I have those moments at big sporting events wondering why we express such exuberance about touchdowns and home runs and not so much about the more meaningful things in life. Well… shortly thereafter… I typically come to my senses and continuing jumping up and down hugging strangers.
I think I have come to the place of peace. Is watching sports meaningful? Beyond the memories we make with friends and family and bragging rights over whoever, my answer is absolutely. One of the reasons i believe this it is because it gives us a window into these people who have put the hard work to reach the top echelons of their craft. These athletes are ALL supremely talented. MOST put in insane amounts of hard work. SOME are great leaders and a select FEW are great role models. When those players also WIN, it only broadens their platform for influence.
Someone that comes to mind is our catcher JT Realmuto. He’s the general on the field and one of the top catchers in the league. He is not a “rah rah” kind of guy but you can tell that he has that quiet leadership that when he speaks, the team listens.
A friend posted this interview recently and I want to share it with you this week as he is now on the largest stage. JT is follower of Christ and here he talks about the role that faith and humility play in his life. You can skip to the 15:30 mark but the whole interview is worth watching.
