Integrity

While there are plenty of examples of athletes making poor choices, fortunately there are many examples of athletes choosing to act with integrity and to honour the game in almost moments. An almost moment in the 2016 Hopman Cup, a tournament leading up to the Australian Open, serves as an example. The ref called a serve from Australian Lleyton Hewitt out. Hewitt conceded the call and went to take his second serve, but his opponent, American Jack Sock, stopped him. “That was in if you want to challenge it,” he said. Hewitt was surprised by Sock’s admission. When the replay of the serve showed that the ball had indeed been in, the crowd applauded Sock’s demonstration of integrity (Scott 2016).

As John Wooden indicates in his statement “Sports do not build character. They reveal it”, we reveal our character in almost moments. When we act with integrity we demonstrate respect for ourselves, our coaches, our teammates, our opponents, the officials, the fans and the game. Choosing integrity allows us to have a clear conscience, and having a clear conscience allows us to be in flow and perform at our best. Conversely, when we cheat, our hearts and minds are burdened. Consequently, it is impossible to find flow, and our "victories" are tainted and empty.