PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 19: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on November 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Timberwolves defeated the 76ers 112-109. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
By: Bob Cooney
The beauty of sports, to me, doesn’t confirm itself in a dominating 59-point, 11 rebound, 8 assist, five block performance. Nor does it in an embarrassing home loss to a double-digit underdog. The beauty of it, again, to me, is the way we react to it.
Joel Embiid had a performance last week that I described above that was THE BEST individual sports performance that I’ve ever watched live. And the next day I heard someone ask why can’t he carry this team more often.
Head scratching.
And when times are bad, such as they were following the Eagles first loss of the season to the Washington Commanders, the overreaction is both warranted and, just that, overreaction.
None of us is or was talented enough to play professional sports so we pride ourselves on being professional reactors. And man, we are all-stars when it comes to that. Mine, and maybe many others, isn’t a stance that what I believe or what I saw is what everyone else should believe or see. Instead, I love listening to the contrary. I can still hold my ground and disagree, but I’ll certainly listen and try to learn something more from another point of view.
The Eagles won a football game yesterday to improve to 9-1. That in and of itself is terrific and very unexpected. That can’t be understated. But we are rarely satisfied, and rightfully so. Because satisfaction, unless perfection is attained, is something that should never be reached.
After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.