Sport is about competing hard within agreed rules and respect.

What matters is not the goal itself, but how pursuing it shapes who you become.

Feel anger, fear, and the will to win, but let your values and rules guide your actual choices.

In December of 2000, West Ham United was playing Everton in a Premier League soccer match when one of those small moments happened that still has the power to teach.

With the score tied 1 to 1 and with seconds left for West Ham to score, Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard charged well out of his penalty box to clear an incoming ball. He took a wrong step, his knee buckled, and he collapsed to the turf in intense pain, unable to move. The ball, still alive, bounced to a West Ham player who lofted the ball to their gifted but unpredictable forward, Paolo Di Canio.

An open goal in front of him for a sure win, Paolo caught the ball with his hands and pointed to his fallen opponent. He stopped the game, forcing a tie.

The crowd rose to applaud him, and FIFA gave him its Fair Play Award. But I doubt that the award is why this story is still being written about a quarter of a century later. It has lasted because in that instant, everyone could see a deeper agreement that sits unnoticed beneath the games we play.

Yes, we are here to compete. Yes, we want to win.

That is the thing about sport at its best. It is metaphor for war—but it’s not war. It seeks domination, but it’s not domination. It is not hatred wearing a scarf. Sport is an agreement to struggle beautifully toward an end that lives inside shared rules and cooperation.

The World Cup is the perfect time to notice how freakin’ human that is.

The whole planet is now leaning toward a soccer ball. My wife and son call out from the couch with every near goal, even though you can hardly call them soccer fans. Hearts pound. Nations sing. A penalty shot hits........

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