LeBron James is confused about the meaning of "competitor."
After the Orlando Magic eliminated James' Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs Saturday and James refused to shake hands with his opponents, The New York Times quoted James: "It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor."
No. The ultimate competitor is the Triple-Impact Competitor who makes self, teammates and the game better. James is superb on levels 1 and 2. On Level 3, he fell down, badly.
Former NFL coach Herm Edwards nailed it. "The game is sacred....When you are out on the field, you must remember your legacy and what you are representing."
Triple-Impact Competitors are strong enough to make the game better by overcoming their disappointment to congratulate their opponents at the toughest time--right after they've beaten you.
-- Jim Thompson, PCA Founder and Executive Director
Rest assured that Downtown Little League stands firmly behind our partners at the Positive Coaching Alliance and our managers will continue with the tradition of having our players shake hands at the conclusion of all games, which we believe shows that even the losers are true competitors.
