ONE TEAM For All
What does it take to be a successful team? If we are talking basketball, most would agree a few tall players and a reliable point guard are a good start. But it takes more than that. You need players who work together as a unit, both on offense and defense. You need solid leadership, determination to do your best, and an attitude of working for the success of the team as a whole, not for your personal gain.
On January 17th, we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. He worked for a society free of racism, where we would all live as equals, with love and respect for everyone.
In our CYC program, we acknowledge there are times we fail to live up to the goals of Dr. King.
- Are we critical of others because of how they look, where they live, or how they talk?
- Do we graciously welcome visiting teams from different parts of the St Louis area?
- Do we judge others based on prejudice without really knowing them as a person?
When we are baptized we become members of the Church. Not the South City or North County Church. The ONE Church. We are all brothers and sisters made in the image of God.
Next time you attend a CYC game, and you are playing a team that may be different than your team, in whatever way that may be, please take the opportunity to make it a positive learning experience for your child.
Recently, I attended a game between a team from North County District and St Charles District. One team was all black, the other all white. As the players gathered for the pre-game prayer, one of the coaches stepped forward, and with a big smile on his face, encouraged the players to introduce themselves. Suddenly you had two groups of players laughing and being kids. It was great…
… because when you break it down, it made no difference where those kids were from, or what was the color of their skin. They were CYC players enjoying the competition against other CYC players.
That’s all our kids want from sports. A place to have fun and compete against other kids in a sport they love. It’s really simple. Unfortunately, as adults, sometimes we make it complicated.
CYC sports believes we are all ONE TEAM. It is not about looking for ways to divide; it needs to be about looking for ways to unite. If the CYC organization is going to be a successful team, we all need to work together to eliminate racism from our program, and to strive to treat everyone with respect. We need to be ONE TEAM.
For more information on ONE TEAM, and resources to discuss with your children, go to: https://playcyc.org/one-team/
