Last Saturday, as I was flying home from a business trip, two teams in a hispanic league in Salt Lake City were engaged in a soccer battle. One 17-year-old player took exception to being awarded a yellow card and punched the referee who gave it to him. Late last night, Ricardo Portillo passed away from his injuries.
Charges are pending against the young man who delivered the fatal blow, what was originally aggravated assault will most likely become a charge of aggravated manslaughter. In Utah, that sentence becomes a 25 year to life sentence. The lives of two families will be forever altered because one young man took a penatly call a little too seriously. The young man will be in his 40s when he is first eligible for parole.
Often we take sports a little too seriously. The odds of a single high school player, even the good one, of ever earning a single dollar as a professional are astronomical. Less than 1% of high school athletes will play at the major league level. According to a quick internet search, 1 out of every 225 high school athletes will play professionally. And that is for baseball, where there are multiple levels of professional leagues. No doubt, nearly every high school athlete will have to make a living doing something other than sports.
There comes a time in the life of nearly everyone that the sneakers need to be hung up for good. But the values learned from sports can translate to other fields. In sports, we can learn the value of team play and playing a role with others, which is an important lesson for life. We can also learn the value of being fit, that taking good care of our bodies will yield a lifetime benefit.
One lesson that could have been learned by the young man in this game is that sometimes life does not go the way we want it to go. That the referees in life are human and sometimes make a mistake. That others will get to reap the reward of our hard work. That sometime, even when we give our best efforts, we lose. We don't always get the raise we deserve. Someone else will get the promotion that we believe we have earned. People will lie, cheat and steal and get away with it. These are also the hard lessons of sports that we could learn, but often don't.
But it can also teach us that when the odds are stacked against us, we can come out ahead. It can teach us to give credit where credit is due. It can teach us that a little praise and encouragement can go a long way. It can teach us the value of thinking positive, and of being optimistic. And it can teach us that learning the fundamentals of life can lead to a more enjoying existence.
Unfortunately, this young man will have to learn these lessons behind bars. Fortunately, he will only be 42 when he could be released from prison. Certainly, that is not too old to have a quality family and career; if he learns the proper life lessons in jail. Let's hope he does.
As for the Portillo family, I certainly morn with them in their loss and pray for peace and comfort for them.
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