Sunday provided arguably one of the most gruesome, yet inspiring, images in the 75 years of March Madness.
After University of Louisville sophomore guard Kevin Ware leaped up to block the 3-point shot of Duke University junior guard Tyler Thornton, he landed horrifically wrong and broke his tibia essentially in half during the play. But as often as injuries occur in sports, this injury was somehow different.
Almost immediately the entire Louisville team sat on the court and looked as if each and every player was going through the same pain Ware felt. Players couldn’t bring themselves to look at Ware and stare at the ghastly scene. The entire arena filled with the sounds of silence as fans of both schools understood what had just happened went beyond the basketball game at hand, and the hurt young man deserved everyone’s respect.
As passionate and intense as rivalries can get, especially when a Final Four berth is on line, the display of sportsmanship showed by each and every person is borderline astonishing. In a sports culture increasingly notorious for winning at all costs and taking every advantage possible, the display of respect toward Ware is certainly refreshing.
In sports, it isn’t exactly uncommon to try to use an injured opponent for quick benefits, whether it’s a soccer team playing some stall ball with a downed player, track runners continuing to race as someone falls or even football players receiving bounties for injuring certain players on the other team.
Duke easily could have been in a celebratory mood. They just knocked down a crucial three to pull the game within one point, and Louisville had just lost a key player and found themselves in a state of emotional trauma.
However, Duke rose above the easy path to take the high road, realizing Kevin Ware represented more than an opponent. He is also a friend, a teammate, a hard- working student who could no longer play for a championship due to circumstances outside of his control. Given the importance of the game, the display is even more commendable.
Outside of the players in the game, the general public also showed great togetherness and depth of character in handling the injury. On Twitter, #PrayforWare was trending for almost three hours after the injury, and the few shameless people who tried to parody the situation were quickly removed.
While Louisville would go on to win the game quite easily, citing Ware as their inspiration, his heroism is far from being the only admirable outcome from that Elite Eight game. I can only hope the same would happen if a similar situation occurred during a Creighton game, and that all our student- athletes would act in the same respectful and honorable way.
Sportsmanship isn’t dead and even the biggest stages offer the subtle reminder that competition is there to drive people to become better, not only in the game at hand but in all aspects of life.
After the injury, Ware continues to show amazing strength and composure. According to ESPN, he said he knew he needed to remain calm for his team to keep focused and making sure to let those concerned about him know that he is fine.