When you play sports, you are the work of art. The show is ongoing; there is always another chance to perform. You can always improve what you have to offer.
Play sports for fun but take advantage of the opportunity to set new personal bests. Push yourselves and push your team-mates to get better. Don’t set low expectations; don’t expect to finish last.
I was an athletics banquet and “at least we didn’t finish last” was a refrain. Anyone can do better than last. I could take up any sport tomorrow and finish last (or better). If it were my first time playing that sport or I could see that at that time, that was where my abilities stood relative to my competitors, I wouldn’t beat myself up over it. But I have pride and I would try my hardest to improve my performance the next time.
Athletics, like any other extra-curricular activity, is part of a school’s identity. Sports can be a powerful vehicle for student-athletes to achieve their self-actualization goals. Obviously, students go to school to learn so they should hit the books first. Afterwards, it’s still important to learn how to be the best you can be.
As Albert Camus said, “There is in this world beauty and there are the humiliated. We must strive, hard as it is, not to be unfaithful to the one or the other.”
Do your best, no matter what the activity. Do it for yourself, your teammates, and the person you want to become. Determine what you want and take steps to get it. You’re accountable to yourself and each other. This isn’t easy but the rewards are worth it. Set the example.