The Universal Language of Sports

Sports is without a doubt an activity that brings to the surface the deepest of emotions, feelings, and ways of being. It is a primal activity that uncovers the universal language of being human.

Without a doubt, one of the best experiences of my life was walking into a professional baseball locker room at 17 years old as one of 10 or so Americans on a team of 35. It was an experience that has shaped me in ways that I am still unpacking today.

It was the experience of being a minority. It was the experience of not understanding the language being spoken around me. It was the experience of feeling the differences of my teammates on a profound level, yet at the same time, discover a commonality with them on the most basic human level.

The fundamental lesson I learned from this experience, a lesson that took me beyond language, race, religion, and socio-economic backgrounds, was that to be human is to be in touch with what drives our experiences. It is to be in touch with our desires to be known, seen, and loved.

This is what drove all of us in the locker room while at the same time connected us in the most human way.

So it is within these same driving forces today that I watch my son begin to interact with others, from around the globe, playing soccer.

Watching him interact with 15 other kids who speak a different language while taking instruction from a coach who also speaks another language has brought me back to my 17 year old self.

It has brought me back to that place where sports was the venue for authentic communion. Where sports was the venue for real human connection. Where sports was the venue for the development of the human body and soul.

It has brought me back to the universal language that we call sports.