文字难度：★★☆
Darius and Johntel have a lot in common. They are both talented high school seniors. They both love basketball. They are both captains of their respective high school basketball teams. But on one Saturday night in February, they were forever linked in the minds of all who were present for a 1)mutual act of courage, 2)sportsmanship, and respect.
The remarkable moment came during a game between Darius’s small-town Illinois team and Johntel’s big-city team in Wisconsin—a game that almost wasn’t played. Just hours before the3)tip-off Johntel’s mother lost her five-year battle with 4)cervical cancer. Her death was sudden and devastating to all who knew her, and Johntel’s coach wanted to cancel the game. But Johntel insisted that the game should be played, and so with heavy hearts his teammates prepared to honor their captain’s wishes and to play—and hopefully win—without him. What they weren’t prepared for was Johntel’s appearance in the gym mid-way through the first half.
As soon as he saw him, Johntel’s coach called a 5)time out, and players and fans surrounded the grieving young man to offer love and support. The coach asked him if he wanted to sit on the bench with the team.
“No,” Johntel said. “I want to play.”
Of course his team was thrilled to have him. But because Johntel wasn’t on the pre-game6)roster, putting him in the game at that point would result in a technical 7)foul and two free throws for the opposing team. Johntel’s coach was OK with that. He could see that this was the teenager’s way of coping with his loss—the points didn’t matter.
The opposing team understood the situation and told the referees to let Johntel play and to forget the technical foul. The referees argued that a rule is a rule, and the free throws would have to be taken before the game could proceed.
For possibly the first time in basketball history, officials had to force a team to accept and take the technical free throws. As team captain, Darius 8)volunteered to take the shots.
One would have expected he was looking for an opportunity to keep his team close in a hard-fought game against a big city school. Or one could even assume he wanted a chance to add a couple of points to his personal statistics.
In either case, one would be wrong.
Darius took the ball from the official, looked at the basket, and calmly shot the ball.
Now, basketball purists know that the free throw line is 15 feet from the basket. Darius’s first shot only traveled about four feet. His second shot only traveled two.
Immediately Johntel and his teammates understood what Darius was doing. They stood and applauded the gesture of sportsmanship as Darius made his way back to his bench. So did all of the big city fans.
“I did it for the guy who lost his Mom,” Darius told the 9)Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the game. “It was the right thing to do.”
For those who are concerned about such things, Johntel’s team rode the emotion of the night to a 15-point victory. But as the two teams met after the game for pizza and 10)sodas, nobody on either side was too concerned with wins or losses or personal stats.
“This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime,” Darius’s coach said. “They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they’ll remember what happened in that gym that night.”
达利斯和约翰特尔有许多共同点。他俩都是优秀的高三在读生,都热爱篮球,是各自所在高中的篮球队队长。二月里一个周六的晚上,两人所共同表现出的勇气、体育精神以及对彼此的尊重,让他俩的形象永远紧紧相连,铭刻在了现场每一位观众的心中。
这次比赛是达利斯率领的来自伊利诺斯小镇的篮球队对抗约翰特尔率领的来自威斯康星这个大城市的篮球队——一场差点儿就没打成的比赛。那非凡的一刻就发生在这场比赛中。开赛前的几个小时,约翰特尔的妈妈在与子宫癌的5年抗争中败下阵来。她的突然辞世对认识她的每一个人来说,都是一个沉重的打击。约翰特尔的教练打算取消这场比赛,但约翰特尔坚持要按原计划比赛。出于对队长意愿的尊重,队友们怀着沉重的心情准备上场——希望在队长缺席的情况下还能拿下这场比赛。出乎他们的意料,上半场进行到一半的时候,约翰特尔就出现在了体育馆里。
一见到约翰特尔,教练马上就要求暂停。队友和球迷们纷纷包围着这位承受着丧亲之痛的年轻人,给予其安慰和支持。教练问约翰特尔是否想和队友们一块坐在长凳上。
“不,”约翰特尔说道,“我要上场比赛。”
他要上场比赛,这当然令他的队友们都兴奋不已。但因为约翰特尔的名字不在赛前登记的运动员名册上,若他此时上场,就会造成该队技术犯规,对方球队会获得两个罚球。约翰特尔的教练对此并没有意见。他看得出,约翰特尔这个青年是想借此缓解其丧亲之痛——比分并不重要。
对方球队也理解此时的状况。他们对裁判表示,让约翰特尔上场,不用判对方球队技术犯规。但裁判辩解说,必须严格执行比赛规则,得先罚球再继续进行比赛。
或许在篮球史上,由裁判强制一个球队接受因对方技术犯规而获得的罚球,这还是头一次。作为队长,达利斯主动出来投射罚球。
有人可能会以为,与来自大城市一所高中的篮球队苦战到了这刻,达利斯想借机凝聚全队士气,又或者想借此在个人得分上添上两分。
无论哪一种想法,都错了。
达利斯从裁判手中接过球,看着篮球筐,平静地射球。
在场所有熟知篮球比赛规则的人都知道,罚球线距离篮板15英尺(约4.57米),可达利斯的第一个罚球却只投出了4英尺(约1.22米),而第二个罚球也只投出2英尺(约0.61米)。
约翰特尔和他的队友们立刻明白了达利斯的用意。当达利斯走回场外长凳时,约翰特尔和他的球友们都站了起来,为达利斯展现的运动精神鼓掌喝彩。而大城市篮球队的球迷亦掌声不断。
赛后,达利斯对《密尔沃基哨兵报》表示:“我之所以这么做,是为了那个刚失去母亲的球员,就该这样做。”
那晚,约翰特尔所率领的篮球队没有辜负关注他们球队的人的期望,他们以领先15分的优势取得了胜利。但赛后,两队的队员碰头一起去吃比萨饼喝汽水,双方都没太在意比赛输赢或是个人得分情况。
“我们的孩子将会终生铭记那一刻,”达利斯的教练说道,“20年后,他们或许不会记得这场比赛的结果,但却一定会记得那一晚在体育馆里发生的一切。”
小资料：顶级足球联赛中光辉一页
足球，这项让全世界人们为其疯狂的运动，在假摔、赌球、兴奋剂、暗箱操作等一系列负面新闻的笼罩下，其原来美丽的光环已日渐黯淡。在足球场上，胜利就是一切，也正是在这种“胜利代表一切”的想法的控制下，顶级足球联赛的公平性也愈来愈受到各方的质疑。而有一个人，用其实际行动维护了足球的名誉，他就是来自捷克的著名球星帕维尔·内德维德。
那是2001年意大利甲级联赛第33轮拉齐奥足球俱乐部与佛罗伦萨足球俱乐部之间的关键一战。比赛下半场，在左路禁区的位置，佛罗伦萨的中场球员阿马拉尔把拉齐奥的中场球员内德维德放倒，当时的裁判科里纳立刻给拉齐奥判了一颗点球，但内德维德拒绝接受。原因是他知道阿马拉尔的腿没有碰到他，这是裁判由于所处的位置没能看清而造成的误判。裁判科里纳接受了内德维德的解释，并走上前与内德维德握手致谢。而赛后的录像显示，阿马拉尔的确没有对内德维德犯规。内德维德以他良好的职业道德，为足坛的公平竞争历史写下了光辉的一页，此事至今仍为意甲的球迷所津津乐道。
