The Sports Ethic

According to Hughes and Coakley, the Sport Ethic is defined as "the criteria for defining what it means to be a real athlete" (Hughes and Coakley 1991). To meet this criteria, Hughes and Coakley state that there are four primary aspects that must be completed to be considered a 'real athlete'.  
The four points are as follows:
1. The athlete must make sacrifices for the game
2. The athlete must strive for distinction
3. The athlete should play through pain and accept risks
4. The athlete should refuse to accept limits that get in their path of victory
When looking at professional sports in the US, it is clear that these four points are closely followed by many of our athletes.  Football and hockey players are sacrificing their bodies for the rest of their lives, just for the chance of winning a championship and supporting their families.  If you look at the best athletes in any sport, it is clear that they have been striving for distinction; you cannot be the best if you are trying to conform to everyone else on the field.  Playing through pain and accepting risks is a huge factor.  We have all seen the best athletes play through pain, and that is what makes them the best athletes in the world - Michael Jordan putting on an all star performance in the finals with a fever over 101 degrees...Curt Schilling winning the ALCS while his ankle was pouring blood from a previous surgery,and one of my favorites, Byron Leftwich brought his team back from 17 points down to beat Akron in 2002, all while having a broken leg - his offensive line carried him down the field.  These are all examples of All Star athletes making sacrifices, striving for distinction, playing through pain, accepting risks, and refusing to accept limits.  I believe if any athlete want to be the best, or even compete on the professional level most places throughout the world, these four points should reflect in their play.