The Lesson from Sports Have Been Lost | Career Angles

The other night, several of us got together over Zoom. We grew up in The Bronx, went to school together, and played sports together. Lion, Bowser, Husk, Roy Boy, Shats, Bug. I was “Alt” in those days. I would’ve preferred Lance Kool but Alt was the name that stuck.

We spoke about those who were no longer with us and playing softball, football, and roller hockey, sharing stories of glory days when we were young and growing up. During the hour we spent with one another, I would share my screen and post pictures of places in our old neighborhood that we would all remember that was long since gone.

We learned in school the importance of doing things by ourselves. We were responsible for our own grades. We had homework to do, and we did it ourselves, although from time to time we would call one another to get some help on a particularly tough assignment. We laughed about particular teachers who were difficult and reminisced that although they were hard we got some of our best lessons from them.

One lesson I learned was when you let someone copy from your test in fifth grade, you both get caught and punished (thanks Bobo). You learn to do things by yourself and take responsibility for your failures in school.