Even in its absence, sport provides us with an inspiring way of living life

A couple of months ago, the sporting fraternity represented a machinery in full swing. Numerous world-class events across the globe were functioning at optimum capacity and were gearing itself up for another sensational finale come the summer.

In a matter of weeks though, a spoke was thrown in those spectacles’ works as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disrupted each facet of human life, not just sport.

Subsequently, a major chunk of the planet has undertaken lockdown measures as they hope to emerge from the rubble relatively unscathed. In the process, sport and its fan bases have also suffered, meaning that there has only been a meagre amount of relief for those accustomed to finding solace from such avenues.

Yet, as the quarantine gets more stringent and the world braces itself for a monumental fight against force majeure, one can’t help but delve deeper into the moments of despair, elation and hope sport has accorded and use it as a springboard to draw inspiration to confront a seemingly invincible opponent.

Over the years, sport has taught us to back our own abilities and tide over the troughs, anticipating that a crest might not be too far off. Currently, the world finds itself in a similar situation, wherein the horizon seems grey but not completely dark.

At the moment, the population seems destined to be at loggerheads with an Ivan Drago-esque adversary, one that has the capability and the wherewithal to firmly impact proceedings, both in the short and long term.

However, as the evergreen Rocky Balboa once portrayed, life isn’t really about how hard one can get hit and more about how one can keep moving forward post it. In fact, the famous southpaw from Philadelphia was battered and bruised significantly, just like the COVID-19 has done recently.

Yet, he kept himself in the hunt courtesy a combination of grit, determination and perseverance, and enabled himself to fight the demon when the opportunity presented itself.

Ben Stokes pulled off the impossible at Headingley a few months ago

In another walk of sport, in August 2019, Ben Stokes found himself in the unenviable position of having to scale a peak that had never been conquered before. To compound his woes, the Englishman was bereft of alternatives, meaning that a mixture of caution and responsibility was the only way forward, akin to the modus operandi the general population needs to follow in today’s time of strife.

Stokes though, portrayed the requisite fortitude to care for his partner (could be substituted for an elder statesman or those with disabilities in the current scenario) at the other end (aka Jack Leach), wait for his chances and then unfurl his full repertoire once the troubles had subsided.

To put things into perspective, the circumstances currently engulfing us are extremely similar to what transpires when in tennis - an opponent enjoys an inspired set of tennis or when in football, a team gets utterly outclassed in one half.

Fortunately, though, these athletes have emphasized the importance of buckling down and letting the adverse situations meet its end naturally, rather than venturing for a non-existent solution and burning themselves in the process.

To underline the vitality of the above, one must try envisioning what could’ve happened had Liverpool lost all hope and surrendered meekly after that manic first half against AC Milan at Istanbul in the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League final. Or, for that matter, if Santi Cazorla had been content to just walk in his garden and not contemplate pursuing the sport that had defined his life.

Cazorla was once told he should consider himself lucky to just take a stroll in his garden

At this juncture, the authorities around the world have called for patience and valour, even though that has largely been in short supply. Yet, luckily for the masses, there has been a previous precedent to pin their hopes on, and one that has time and again verified that the tough times ultimately give way to a brighter dawn.

For now, though, it is essential that we must stick to the guidelines issued and in sync with the famous sporting comebacks of yesteryear, hold ourselves together before attempting to find the decisive tilting scale.

As for sport, there remains absolutely no doubt that it would again adorn our daily schedules, much like it has done for the better part of our existence. And, when it does, it would be treated like the hero that had departed and prioritized other crucial enemies to ensure that it returned with greater gusto and indeed, perspective. In fact, the delirium of the revival tastes much sweeter if one has waited for it long enough, doesn’t it?

Hours earlier, Justin Langer, the coach of the Australian Men’s Cricket Team mentioned that his players needed to find silver linings even in such dreary predicaments. As for that, the prospect of sport, and not impending doom, dominating our daily discussions, somewhere down the line might be sufficient, one reckons.

More tellingly though, despite its absence, sport has accentuated the enormity of the role it plays in our lives, not just when it is being played but more importantly, when it isn’t.

Most powerfully, in light of the myriad heroics conjured on the field previously, it has allowed the world to cling onto hope, an attribute that’s tested to the hilt in a mare’s nest.

After all, life or indeed sport is founded upon that very ideal, irrespective of the circumstances. And, without the latter, the former would be much harder to preach, wouldn’t it?