Can’t help rooting for these guys
Occasionally, folks ask me if I’m a fan of any team.
Turns out, being a sports writer makes you less of a sports fan. Think of it this way — if you’re an accountant, you don’t go home and do accounting for fun.
You get the gist.
But every once in awhile, I run into athletes or coaches who are just so genuine, so nice that it’s impossible not to be a fan of theirs. Those instances are rare, though. Even rarer is a team that makes me want to cheer them.
Wednesday afternoon, though, I found one.
Nate Billings, one of our photographers, and I headed southwest of the metro to report a story that you’ll see in the pages of The Oklahoman in the next week. (You won’t want to miss the lesson that two men have to teach all of us.) We spent the afternoon with the boys basketball team from Anadarko High.
When we walked into the gym where the Warriors were practicing, the most unexpected thing happened — a couple of players walked over, extended a hand and introduced themselves.
A few minutes later, another player did the same.
By the end of the afternoon, we’d shaken hands with every player on the team.
I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never had anything like that happen. I’ve never heard of anything like that happening to another reporter or photographer either. And the thing is, I have a feeling if we’d have been distant relatives who happened to be in town and stopped by for practice, the same thing would’ve happened.
The team managers also gave us a copy of the day’s practice plan and made sure we had water when the team took a break.
I was almost remiss to tell Nate that I was getting a little hungry for fear I’d be overheard and suddenly be presented with a 12-ounce sirloin.
Anadarko isn’t having one of its greatest seasons, but I have to tell you, I’m pulling for coach Doug Schumpert and his Warriors. Theirs is a program that reminds all of us that there’s still room for decency and civility in sports.
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