The Good Ones v. the Add Ones

A poem that argues the improvement and worth of the players, not the adding to resumes.

Oftentimes, in the sports world, I’ll come across
A most causeless and valuable distinction
Born among two very different kinds of athletes –
Those trying to be good,
And those attempting to add to their resumes.
While it’s easy to nit-pick
When one has accomplished great things
Or has the knack for achievement,
Being good equates to never being satisfied,
Never sounding vain,
And never speaking with mellifluous intent to agitate –
But rather, improving through practice and cognition,
While being deliberate, passionate, honest, and focused.
Adding to one’s resume is never a matter
Of extreme animosity or importance,
When balanced against the conduct and sportsmanlike
Character of the athletes, spectators, coaches, and players;
It’s simply valued ownership of the unknowable,
Preached widely and freely by people
Who forsake improvement and worth
For the most improbable outcomes
Becoming inevitable
Through heavily tested, unsuccessful planning…