Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
     – Margaret Mead

Over the years I have tried to point out to our two sons the many important lessons one learns while playing a team sport. I have tried, without being too preachy I hope, to underscore that age old adage that "It is not so much whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game." You can probably imagine the eye rolling that statement has elicited.

The last several weeks have had me once again thinking about all that can be learned while playing a sport besides the thrill of victory. Our younger son has played soccer since he was about four years old. He is now in his senior year of high school and we have spent the last weeks watching his team try to overcome many obstacles. As sports go, here are just some of them: They are a young team. They are inexperienced and many lack confidence. Most have not had the benefit of the intense development programs of many of their opposing teams. They have not played together for years as some other teams have. There are even some language and cultural barriers to team building, different ways of thinking about and playing the game.

All of these reasons and certainly others contributed to what on paper could be seen as a dismal season. They won few games, tied a few and lost many. On paper this is a losing team. But no one who was watching their final game last evening, which they lost, could see the bonds that have built between these boys. No one could see the way the senior captains had mentored and coached the younger boys into a place of confidence that wouldn’t have seemed possible in August. No one would have noticed the huge change in their work ethic, how they gave their all till the bitter end even though they had no chance of winning. No one would have seen that these boys, strangers many of them only weeks ago, are now friends in two languages. No one could hear the encouragement and hope they gave one another before this final game, not only for this season, but for the eight seniors who took the field.

If Hollywood had written last night’s script, this team would have been victorious in the final moments of the game and a big musical score would have thundered out of the theater speakers while the audience cheered and cried. But this wasn’t Hollywood.This was Minnesota and the underdogs remained just that. Oh, there were tears alright. Tears of sadness, of course. Tears of knowing that something wonderful had come to an end. But also tears, I think, for all that had been gained and the important lessons that were learned. Life lessons.