WHY SETTLE FOR SELFISHNESS?

by dswinder, Sons of Sam Malone

With the ever-present concern with "me" that runs rampant in society, it's not often that we really get to see self-sacrifice for the betterment of others. Athletes like Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds, etc. give a face to the growing culture of "me first". Me before we. I before team. Stats before wins. All of these selfish ideas have encroached into sports to the point of becoming common place. Nowadays, selfishness outweighs team, and the sad part is - No one really cares, or maybe worse: No one even notices.

But while a team first attitude may be going the way of the dinosaurs, it's not there yet.

I was inspired to write this article after hearing of a University of Tennessee golfer, Jonathan Mount. You see, Mount had a, what seems to be never ending, battle with injuries since he first stepped foot on the university as a freshman in 2004. In Mount's first season with the Vols, he injured his hand on three separate occasions, causing him to redshirt his freshman year. Returning as a sophomore, Jonathan Mount was named to the second team All-SEC, and things were starting to look up for the soon to be junior. Mount returned his junior year hoping to improve on his impressive sophomore campaign, only to find out he had a small hole in his left knee. Eventually, his condition led him to dropping out of the NCAA Regionals.

So, what the hell does this have to do with self-sacrifice?

Jonathan Mount gave up his roster spot through reasoning that someone else would better serve the team. The real kicker? It was his decision. The even bigger kicker? He had already made a full recovery.

Now, maybe it's just me, but couldn't we use a little more of this "No I in team" attitude in today's sports culture? Imagine if Keyshawn didn't ever just want the damn ball. If T.O. had have been concerned with the Eagles. What if Pacman wasn't obsessed with making it rain and getting into trouble? Mike Vick wasn't so stupid? Jason Williams didn't go against his contract and ride motorcycles? What if athletes didn't hold out for fat checks and inflated egos? Isn't that what sports are supposed to be about? Isn't that the idea of a team?

Trust me, I'm not living in a bubble. I'm not blinded by naivety. Sports aren't like that. They haven't been. They probably never will be, and as fans, we're okay with that. We've been lulled into seeing normalcy in selfishness, and I guess that's okay as long as fans are still fans. But when I hear a story like this, it just makes me stop and wonder why.

Photo Courtesy of UT Sports