“Cheering
for the Other Team”
Good News in the News
Two recent basketball games in
Texas made the news. Which one did the media highlight more?
#1: In college hoops, the Texas-Baylor game was overshadowed by a fight. Seven players were ejected (four
from Texas, three from Baylor) for their role in the scuffle.
#2: In high school, the Vanguard College Prep boys in Waco hosted a game against Gainesville, a youth correctional facility for felony offenders.
The Gainesville basketball team consists
of those rewarded for good behavior. Students not on the team can’t leave the school
to cheer on their classmates. Few parents make the trip, so the Gainesville fan
section often remains empty.
Then, Ben Martinsen and Hudson
Bradley from Vanguard came up with a plan.
Good Sportsmanship
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Hudson Bradley and Ben Martinsen put
themselves in the shoes of their opponent. “It must be hard to play with no fans.” So, they recruited people to cheer for
Gainesville.
The other team was shocked when
they entered the gym. For once, their fan section was filled.
They saw posters of support.
They had their
own cheerleaders.
Half the crowd was assigned to root for them.
As the game progressed, their fan base spread until the whole gym clapped and cheered after every Gainesville basket.
Bradley
said, “We all need someone who believes in us. We all need someone who knows
our mistakes and loves us anyway.”
I bet no
one was prouder that day than Jesus.
The Texas-Baylor fight may receive more air time now. But in 40 years, those young men from
Gainesville will still remember the kindness of Vanguard Prep.
What kindness shown to you long ago can you still recall today?
This is a great reminder, David. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, Tina. I heard this heartwarming story for the first time on the radio yesterday, whereas I'd seen highlights of the college game in several places.
DeleteThis story lifted my spirits, David. A great way to start the day! The people Jesus reached out to certainly had no cheering supporters surrounding them.
ReplyDeleteI was not raised in a church-going family. My Dad was a staunch nonbeliever and, out of fear, my Mom remained quiet. When I became a believer at 16, my Dad wasn't pleased with the idea that I wanted to go to church. A friend at school asked me to spend Saturday night with her and I went to church with her family the next morning. This continued every Saturday night until we graduated from high school. I praise God for their faithfulness. Miraculously, God kept my Dad clueless for 2 years :)
Thank you, Sherry. Both public and private, the Lord works in amazing ways.
DeleteGreat post! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAppreciate that, Mary Beth. The world needs more stories like this.
DeleteThank you so much for taking the time and sharing this awesome story! This generation of teens is something else to think this way / unless these two were from another planet (the story doesn't even seem real).
ReplyDeleteWhen a story inspires me, I figure it will touch others too. At that age I wouldn't have come up with an awesome idea like that.
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