Failing at Sports in an Epic Fail World

I went to a lot of sports events while I was in High School. Only a handful of the many I attended was memorable enough to stick with me. Some of those games are memorable because we pulled out dramatic wins or beat hated rivals. There is one that stands apart from all the rest, not because of the dramatic way we lost. 

     After a long close match-up with a cross-town rival, our high school basketball team had a narrow lead and possession of the ball with just a few seconds left on the clock. At that point, the unthinkable happened. Our player turned the ball over on an inbound pass right under our opponent's rim. They scored the quick layup before the buzzer and won the game. We were dumbfounded. In all my other memories of high school sports, I can't remember any feat, play or accomplishment by any one specific individual except one, the one who lost us that game.

     It's interesting that of all the heroic and dramatic wins I know I witnessed over my four years in high school, the only specific play I can remember was a fail. For some reason, people love to see people fail. Some revel in others' failures while other cringe, yet none of us can turn away. 

     Failing has become harder to do in today's EPIC FAIL world. Whole YouTube channels are devoted to Fail compilations where you can watch people fail in any activity you'd like to. Sports fails, wedding fails, school fails, work fails, church fails and the list goes on. And while there have always been shows like AFV where people send in blooper videos, now those videos can be shared with one click, and are even captured on a live stream. I wonder how life would have been different for my friend in high school who blew one the biggest games of his life on a blunder. 

     Last week another high school athlete made probably the biggest mistake of his football life. Jason Money of Spanish Fork High School, Utah had a mental lapse, ending with one of the most heartbreaking losses you'll ever watch. Overnight, the video of his failure had gone viral, having been seen by over a million viewers. An article in the Deseret News described Jason's experience of receiving hate mail and death threats from people he didn't even know. He then got phone calls and messages from coaches, opponents, strangers and even professional athletes who offered encouragement and support. 

      Failure can be a difficult thing for any athlete. It can be especially hard for a young athlete. Today's world of instant sharing and epic fails has made failing more common, but it has definitely raised the stakes. While the memory of that high school basketball game may be etched in stone for me, Money's epic fail is etched in something much more dangerous, bits and bytes.