Should Mercy Be on the Division III Level?
Anthony Martelli
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Impact Staff Blogs
I never thought when I began writing for the Impact that I would become the sports editor. When I started writing for the paper in the spring of 2008, I was just helping out. Nobody asked me to write for the Impact, or made me do it, but I think I did it solely because I was expected to; I wanted to be a journalist and I needed to get going.
When I first began my duties as the sports editor in September, I was saddened to find the lady Mavericks soccer team struggle to get along. In September of last year, they went 1-1-1, beating Bloomfield College by a score of 1-0 and tying with East Coast Conference opponent St. Thomas Aquinas, 1-1. From there they went on to lose three consecutive games before tying with Concordia in double overtime, 2-2 on Oct. 14. Then they went on to lose the rest of their games for the season.
All right, so they had a rough season. It happens. But they were shutout six separate times. They were outscored by their opponents 42-7 over the course of the 12-game season. How exactly can they explain that? I have no doubt in my mind that these girls who play on the soccer team are talented, dedicated, hard-working young ladies. But it was awfully difficult to have to write about their losing game after game. It wasn't exactly how I pictured my first semester as sports editor.
This current semester I noticed the men's basketball team finishing at 0-18 in the ECC and 0-26 overall. I interviewed one of the players on the basketball team who is wrapping up his college playing career, and he said he's learned so much over the course of his playing time. To me, that is a wonderful thing. Even if you have a losing campaign, it's good that the athlete learns about sportsmanship and grows as a person. That's really what playing sports is all about.
But when you play, you should want to win, and I'm sure the team does want to win, but it's not enough to just want to win. They have to show it and leave everything on the court. In the words of General Douglas MacArthur, "There is no substitute for victory."
When I first began my duties as the sports editor in September, I was saddened to find the lady Mavericks soccer team struggle to get along. In September of last year, they went 1-1-1, beating Bloomfield College by a score of 1-0 and tying with East Coast Conference opponent St. Thomas Aquinas, 1-1. From there they went on to lose three consecutive games before tying with Concordia in double overtime, 2-2 on Oct. 14. Then they went on to lose the rest of their games for the season.
All right, so they had a rough season. It happens. But they were shutout six separate times. They were outscored by their opponents 42-7 over the course of the 12-game season. How exactly can they explain that? I have no doubt in my mind that these girls who play on the soccer team are talented, dedicated, hard-working young ladies. But it was awfully difficult to have to write about their losing game after game. It wasn't exactly how I pictured my first semester as sports editor.
This current semester I noticed the men's basketball team finishing at 0-18 in the ECC and 0-26 overall. I interviewed one of the players on the basketball team who is wrapping up his college playing career, and he said he's learned so much over the course of his playing time. To me, that is a wonderful thing. Even if you have a losing campaign, it's good that the athlete learns about sportsmanship and grows as a person. That's really what playing sports is all about.
But when you play, you should want to win, and I'm sure the team does want to win, but it's not enough to just want to win. They have to show it and leave everything on the court. In the words of General Douglas MacArthur, "There is no substitute for victory."
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