Respect the game.
I used to write that under the bill of my baseball cap when I played. It was something that my high school baseball coach stressed to all of us. It was an all-encompassing philosophy. Respect for the game meant that no matter what happened, you made sure that you hustled, that you played hard, that you treated your opponent with respect, and you treated the umpires and coaches with respect. You did this not because it was required, but you did it because those that played before you did it and gave you an opportunity to do it, and you did it as an example to those that would play after you.
Respect the game.
It is something that I have carried into officiating. In my pre-game captains’ meeting, the only thing I tell the players is, “Respect each other, respect the officials, respect the game, play hard, and have fun.” For me, that about sums it up. If the players do those things, the game always goes very smoothly.
Respect the game.
It is something that I have carried into business. I’m not the first person to practice real estate, and I won’t be the last. There have been many before, and there will be many more to come. Those that came before worked very hard and sacrificed much to lay the groundwork for what the profession is today, and the opportunity it affords. I respect that. I also know that I’m not the best REALTOR that has ever been. I don’t hold all the answers, but I hope to serve as an example for my contemporaries so that one day they might be able to survey my professional career and say, “whatever else, he did things the right way.”
Respect the game.
One unfortunate consequence of the Internet age is that it is largely anonymous. There is no need for real, face-to-face, human interaction. That is a shame, because it erodes the need for respect. It’s easy to say just about anything when all that is required is a few keystrokes before a back-lit screen in the privacy of your own room. I think that sometimes, everyone could benefit from spreading around a healthy dose of respect on the world-wide-web. This is especially true when the person to whom that respect is directed is a person with whom you may disagree.
Respect the game.
