For the Love of the Game

Have you ever heard an athlete praised for competing not for money or fame, but for “the love of the game”?

For many fans, the idea that an athlete competes for no reward greater than the competition itself—even though there likely are many extrinsic benefits—is the ultimate compliment.

Last lesson, we discussed some of our favorite sports movies, and many of those are in part built around this ideal. Think about Rudy, Remember the Titans, and other famous sports movies (with the notable exception to glorifying amateurism being Chariots of Fire). Many of these films focus not on professionals but instead on amateurs—athletes who aren’t going to cash a check after they compete, no matter the outcome.