Uplifting news from the world of sports

The more I follow and pay attention to collegiate athletics, the more I think I should focus more on the low (or non) revenue-generating sports, rather than on the cash cows that football and basketball have become. Everything that I rail against the NCAA for seems to stem from those two sports, whereas the true unadulterated beauty and power of college sports--coaches as teachers and leaders, players as developing leaders, lessons in teamwork and sacrifice--often lies in the largely ignored sports like soccer, baseball, hockey, tennis, and volleyball.

It's not that the greatness of collegiate athletics can't be found in basketball and football, it's just that it's so brutally obscured and perverted by the temptation and power of big money that it's hard to even know whether a coach, player, or administrator is acting in a selfless or self-serving manner. As a season-ticket holder for (and former employee of) Virginia Baseball, I can attest that one of the things fans love most about the "smaller" sports is that they simply seem more pure--less preening for the cameras, more worrying about one's teammates, more genuine care and attention paid to the fans (especially the young children). Granted, many of these sports are supported financially by football and basketball, making the unsavory aspects of those sports a somewhat necessary evil, but the contrast is nonetheless striking.

Setting that aside--and stepping off my soapbox for a minute--reading this article this morning reminded me of everything that sports (college or otherwise) are supposed to be about. The news was a refreshing break from the infuriating articles that I always seem to read about recruiting violations and the like over in college football world.

Wake Forest freshman outfielder Kevin Jordan needed a kidney transplant. None of his family members was a suitable match for a donation.

That's when his baseball coach, Tom Walter, stepped in.

Both men are recovering at Emory Hospital in Atlanta after Walter donated a kidney to Jordan on Monday. One of the surgeons in the procedures, Dr. Kenneth Newell, said the operations went well and that both men are expected to make full recoveries.

"When we recruit our guys, we talk about family and making sacrifices for one another," Walter said before the operation. "It is something we take very seriously. I had the support of my family, Wake Forest and my team. To me it was a no-brainer."

Quite simply, this is the kind of story that I just can't begin to imagine reading with regards to a big-time college football coach (unless, of course, Cam Newton was the player in question).

But Kevin Jordan is far from Cam Newton. While he is indeed a solid player, he won't be playing for Wake Forest any time soon, as this article notes. Coach Walter notes that baseball concerns are secondary to Jordan's health.

"I think everybody's first goal is that Kevin can just have a normal life," Walter said. "I mean, forget the baseball part of it for now. If he gets back on the field, that's going to be the best story of all."

Just a great story from an impressive coach. I only wish that Wake Forest played Virginia this year, so that I could offer my applause to Coach Walter in person.

[ESPN]
[Baseball America]