The Challenge Before the Miracle

 

The Challenge Before the Miracle

Joseph DiPietro

 

One of my favorite sports moments happened before I was even born, in a sport I barely watch. That tells you just how special that moment was.

Most Americans know about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. If you do not, do yourself a favor and watch the Disney classic ‘Miracle’. I was -12 years old at the time, my parents were even a few years from marriage, but the moment is so special it will always be one of my favorites. When Mike Eruzione and his teammates defeated the Soviet Union, followed by a gold medal victory against Finland, the entire country was united, and it was beautiful. The best part of the story to me, however, is not how it finished; instead, the most inspiring part is how it almost never began.

On February 9th, two weeks before the victory everyone remembers, the U.S. played the Soviet Union in an exhibition and lost 10-3.

10. To. 3.

Any regular team would give up at that moment. Who in their right mind would think they could beat the best team in the world after just losing to them by seven goals? Apparently, and incredibly, Herb Brooks did. It sure is a good thing, because if he did not, we would not have one of the greatest moments in sports history.

One of the key components of our lessons here at Odin Development is facing adversity and overcoming it. The U.S. team faced adversity on February 9th and lost. They were knocked down hard in the overall battle. Fortunately for me and all the sports fans around the country, the U.S. team got back up and fought. They just got demolished, one of their best players was hurt, and they had to play a collection of quality international teams just to have a chance at the champs one more time. The odds were against them, but the resilience and heart in that team overcame every challenge and they earned one more chance to dethrone the king.

You know how the story ends. In a moment in history where two rival ideologies paralleled on ice, an entire nation of citizens watched as their despair and struggle disappeared. Even for just a moment, the economic crisis and political conflicts were put aside, and Americans learned to love each other and cheer for a hockey team together. Liberty defeated communism. Good defeated evil. America defeated the Soviet Union. All of it was possible because 20-something year old kids got back up after getting knocked down, looked adversity in the face and attacked.

I doubt I will ever see a moment like that in my lifetime. In a sense, I hope I do not, because I hope our nation can learn to love each other again, and other nations can do the same before any sporting event carries the weight of that hockey game. This summer we will gather as families and friends to cheer on our country in Tokyo, (optimistically) following a global pandemic and an extension of that same ideological struggle.

I pray that Americans, and all citizens of the world recognize how far we came as human beings, and that we can put our differences behind us to enjoy an international event as grand as the Olympics. What do I look forward to most there? I cannot wait to watch young athletes overcome their challenges and accomplish the dreams they have worked their entire lives for. That is what sports are all about, and do not ever forget it.