My First Championship

Back in the Spring of 2011 one of the most electrifying yet controversial happenings in my sports career occurred. It was scorching hot day under the unrelenting UV rays of the Los Angeles sun. I stepped my foot on the rubber turf when my feet ignited to at least a ten degree increase in temperature. With each step further the rubber coals beneath my feet began to turn a fiery red as unrelenting as the sun. The churning in the pit of my stomach ached so agonizingly from my inevitable flight sickness. All adversities aside I was on that field for one reason and one reason only, to win the Lacrosse California state championship.
After the first day of practice the team became more acclimated to the new surroundings. Throughout the practices we became more confident as a team and morale began to skyrocket with anticipation of the first game. The first opponent we faced were the defending Arizona state champions and there was nothing particularly significant about that game beside the fact we won. The next few games emulated the first and a win streak commenced. It was during the semi final game of the championship when the controversy manifested.
It was a long arduous battle which ultimately resulted in a deflating sense of self loathing, with every member of the team replaying everything they had done wrong like a never ending horror movie. That evening when we were all summoned to a team meeting with our coach. He informed us that our opponent we had lost to earlier that day had been caught for cheating. They had recruited amateur lacrosse players from through out the United States the prior week. Most of these players had been graduated from high school for a few years. The disqualification of the team who had brought our entire season to a screeching halt posed a variety of emotions. The overwhelming excitement of this rejuvenation of our season had players and parents alike ecstatic. However, as we were all celebrating my coach stood silent in the corner of the room. I could tell by his facial expressions he was contemplating an ethical dilemma that went straight over all of our heads. The championship game the following morning resulted in an entirely different surge of emotions. At the end of the game we were all so caught up with our state cup trophy  we did not grasp why our coach was acting the wasy he was, we were just content with the outcome it didn't matter to us how we reached it.


In sports winning is idolized as the ultimate goal whether it be the Super Bowl, World Cup, World Series or any other championship game. The ultimate recognition as a champion is one of the most gratifying moments an athlete can experience  but it does come with its delusions. Recognition of one thing may dilute another. In this instance the internal conflict which arose was the ethical dilemma in how we ended up in that championship game. I know for a fact our coach believed that since we had lost the game no matter the circumstances that this was not an honorable win. Since we had lost the game regardless of the opponents behavior we did not earn this win the way champions should. I believe this can be compared to athletes breaking records with the use of performance enhancing drugs. However, it may not be as dramatic in comparison it takes away a certain amount of dignity from the victory.