Power Rules In Most Sports.

POWER RULES IN MOST SPORTS. But in 1973, Bobby Riggs showed that a slowdown tennis match could be devastating.

The 1939 Wimbledon champion garnered great press coverage with his constant put-downs of women’s tennis. To back up his claims of male superiority, Riggs helped organize a special match between himself and 1970 Grand Slam winner Margaret Court. The event took place at the San Vicente Country Club, an isolated resort 38 miles northeast of San Diego, California.

The appeal of a 55-year-old man playing a 30-year-old woman caught the public’s fancy. Televised worldwide on Mother’s Day, the winner-take-all challenge drew more viewers than any tennis tournament in television history.

Riggs, a consummate showman, stole the spotlight from the more reserved Court. After presenting her with a pregame bouquet of roses, he proceeded to neutralize her powerful serve with an array of dinks and sliced ground strokes.

Playing more at the pace of a weekend country clubber than a world-class player, Riggs faulted on only 7 of 41 first serves, while the obviously nervous Court landed her first serve only 18 of 37 times and committed ten service errors. In just 57 minutes, the player 25 years her senior beat Court 6–2, 6–1.

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POINT Margaret Court couldn’t seem to keep her cool on the court that day. The braggart, showboating Riggs didn’t beat her. She beat herself. She let his words and her anger affect her play. She lost a match she should have won.

How many times in life has our anger gotten the better of us? And how many times have we spoken too quickly when we should have listened?

The book of James takes a look at the practical side of life and offers some sound advice. We should talk less, listen more, and keep our anger under control. That’s good insight for an athlete or anyone else.

GOAL! Think of a time in sports when you or another player got angry and spoke out when listening would have been better. Write about a time when the same thing happened in a nonathletic life situation.