I absolutely love sports. My
wife?... well, she doesn't. She pretended as though she
did when we dated, but I learned the truth after we were
married. At times, she feels I spend a little too much
time watching football and basketball, and she may be
right. So whenever I find some redeeming quality in a
sporting event, I am quick to point it out to her. Such
an event occurred this past weekend.
Jason McElwain, a senior at
Athena High School in New York, got in the last basketball
game of the regular season with four minutes remaining in
the game. What makes this so compelling is that Jason
MacElwain is autistic and he was the team manager. His
normal place was at the end of the bench, in a white shirt
and tie, handing water and towels to players as they came
off the court.
But this night would be
different for Jason. His love for basketball caused the
head coach to allow Jason to dress for the game. The
student section had been notified that he would dress, so
they came to the game prepared with pictures of Jason on
popsicle sticks.
With four minutes remaining
in the game, the coach stood up off the bench and motioned
for Jason to enter the game. No sooner than he motioned
to him, Jason sprang to his feet and was at the scorers
table checking in. No one could have dreamed what would
happen next.
Jason proceeded to hit six
three-pointers (tying a school record) and hit a
two-pointer that was almost a three-pointer, but his toe
was on the line. 20 points in four minutes! As Jason hit
his sixth three-pointer as time was running out, the fans
and the players all ran onto the court, hoisted him up on
their shoulders and carried him off the court.
What a scene! From the
action of the coach, to the support of his fellow
students, and to the reaction of his teammates, we had
modeled before us the best of mankind. The basketball game
itself took a back seat to the human interest in a young
boy with autism.
When interviewed at the end
of the game, Jason, beaming with pride, simply said, "I
was as hot as a pistol!" Way to go Jason! And way to go
Athena High!
Now, how can you not love
sports?
