DEI Football

He who sets to work on a different strand destroys the whole fabric.

- From the Analects of Confucius.

There was a football game awhile back where the players demonstrated a full commitment to DEI, the idea that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was for everyone, including individual players in a critical situation.

It was fourth down with twelve yards to go. There were twenty seven seconds left on the clock, and the home team, in possession of the ball, needed a first down to have any chance of winning. The coach called a play which required the left guard to block right so that the running back might scamper around him into the flat, to get open for a pass which could give his team a fresh set of downs. In the huddle, the quarterback relayed the instructions to his teammates, and with a clap of his hands the huddle broke.

The left guard however didn't feel that the call was right for him personally. He really, truly, from the bottom of his heart believed that he should block left. It was the correct thing to do in order for him to be true to himself. He simply couldn't go with the crowd and do what he was told. It would have been immoral, he thought to himself solemnly, to be forced into a mold which was not part of his self defined nature. He'd block left on the play because he must or sacrifice his individuality, and therefore himself, to the world.

The football was snapped, and the left guard blocked as his conscience instructed him. His leftward motion caused the running back to run into him and trip, falling to the ground confused. He was unable to get clear for a pass. Further, a hole was opened which allowed the opposing middle linebacker to race through and tackle the quarterback for a loss. The game was over.

The left guard expected that his teammates would be mad at him, even though he was only being true to himself. But a funny thing happened. When he explained his motivation the team nodded acceptance, understanding what was at stake. They began to hug and congratulate their friend, commenting on his bravery in standing up for who he was rather than bowing to some preconceived notion of what he ought to be. They accepted him for him, a guard who could only block left precisely because that was the type of man he was. From that day forward, he would be allowed to play the game any way he wanted.

The road team from that day when hearing the story expressed their admiration as well, saying they loved him and respected his decision and courage. Even though that game, because of that play, got them into the playoffs and they won the Super Bowl, they knew it was a series of hollow victories. They had not been true to their innermost persons; they had bowed to the will of the crowd. The home team meanwhile didn't win another game because, if the left guard could do and be whatever he wanted, so could everyone else on the field. In such a situation their opponents ran all over them, but that was all right. In the hearts of the home team, they were winners.

Several weeks after the season concluded, the left guard announced that he actually could block right after all. That is, if he wanted, because he had determined that he was fluid in his position. Yet his team accepted that too, other than for a few Neanderthals who actually thought playing the game with clear rules and guidelines was itself a good thing, a goal to achieve for its own merits outside of what any particular individual might believe.