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built on any playing field. If it were, I would say that it takes more character for a kid to play on a 0-10 football team than a 10-0. It takes good character for a young man to shake hands with his opponent after suffering a hard defeat. Character keeps a young man playing sports even when the chips are down and the odds are against him. The sport doesn't teach this, wise, virtuous coaches and parents do. Some parents and coaches fail in this department. The defeated team I stood applauding that night was clearly outmatched and beaten in every possible way, but they were still winners, and they had to have some character before they stepped out onto the field to play.

How many sad stories have we read about the washed up all conference high school quarterback who later turns to drugs and alcohol to cope with his life after sports? How about the elite athletes who make it to the next level? We see pro athletes habitually make poor choices in life and ultimately the lack of character is to blame. True character will lead a young man or woman throughout their lives when no one else is watching the scoreboard. Character is not built by winning or losing, instead it is tempered by staying the course and persevering when all things don't go as planned. That's how life is. I'd say the team I watched get beat 50-6 easily had more character. I believe the difficult lessons they learned that evening will serve them well as long as they accurately processed the real meaning of playing a team sport. Final score: Character wins a moral victory!

Learn more about this author, Greg Monroe.
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