I saw quite the video on YouTube today, along with thousands of others. A high school girl named Meghan Vogel won the Ohio state championship in the 1600 meter race earlier. Her next race was another distance run and she was in last place. As she reached the final fifty meters, she saw a competitor had fallen. The girl's body had given out and she simply couldn't go any further. Instead of passing her by, Meghan helped the fallen runner to her feet, and nearly dragged her to the finish line, making sure the other girl crossed first. "She was ahead of me the whole race. She deserved it," said Meghan.
Not surprisingly, this story has been racing through Facebook, YouTube, and the talk show circuit. People are praising Meghan for her sportsmanship and kindness towards an opponent. The praise is deserved. My question is why.
Believe me, I understand what Meghan did was selfless and inspiring. It's rare to see such kindness and sportsmanship in athletics. Again, I ask why.
How many of us would see someone in obvious distress and pain, and then pass that person by? What if passing that person by made the difference between finishing 15th and 16th in a high school track race? How many of us would still keep running? Apparently, quite a few of us.
As amazing as Meghan's act was, let's look at the facts a moment. She was in last place. Meghan had already won a race earlier that morning. Did she really sacrifice that much? From what I can tell from an interview I saw, Meghan doesn't really understand what all the fuss is about. To me, that's the most impressive thing about her.
What would people be saying if she did pass the runner by? Would it even be a blip on the radar? Or would she be going viral for being selfish? Hard to say.
I would like to think that most people would help an injured and helpless peer, competitor or not. I would like to think that each of us would be praised for that behavior with a pat on the back and a hearty, "Good job". But, I would also like to see that "selfless" behavior and display of sportsmanship be expected. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I'm just an optimist. I'm also upset.
What Meghan did was great. Amazing even. The best part of that video is hearing the roar of the crowd as the girls struggled to the finish line, followed by the crescendo when everyone realized Meghan was making sure her opponent crossed first. Goosebumps raced across my arms when I saw and heard the video. I hit "replay" several times. It inspired me, along with so many others. That very fact is also depressing.
Even more so, is the fact that Meghan broke the rules. It's actually written in the Ohio state championship rules that if a runner helps another runner cross the finish line, both runners are disqualified. Really? Not surprisingly, that didn't happen. But, it makes me wonder, why is that rule even there?
I agree with most of your post, but I think I know the origin of the rule. I envision a large group of runners heading for the finish line after a long, grueling race. Right at the last moment, one runner gives a teammate a push to try to earn some points for the school in the team competition. In that case, both runners should be disqualified.
ReplyDeleteOr, people on Ohio's rules committee are stupid. Or both.
Hey, Chad. Thanks for reading and commenting. You're probably right about your idea of the rule. I would think they would write the rule so teammates couldn't help each other, but leave it at that. But, that would make sense, so it probably wouldn't happen. Thanks again for reading.
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