Are Unitarian Universalists sports-deficient as I have claimed? It turns out that back in the day, Universalists played some serious basketball. A denominational history expert sent me an email message to which was attached a scan of a newspaper clipping dating from 1960, just before the Universalists and the Unitarians consolidated into the Unitarian Universalist Association:
First Universalist has won the Somerville [Mass.] Y.M.C.A. Junior Church Basketball league championship for the third straight year by defeating West Somerville Baptist, 70-14.
By winning three successive years, First Universalist retired the Somerville Elks Trophy, which was presented to Rev. Elmer D. Colcord by “Y” President Norman Ray….
College Avenue Methodist finished in second place, one game behind, when it defeated West Somerville Congregational, 47-18….
The article goes on to state that First Universalist finished the 1960 season with a 13-1 record. That’s an impressive record, but what I find most impressive is the score of that final season game — the Universalists kicked some serious Baptist butt.
This raises an interesting question: were the Unitarians actually good at any sport? The man who president of the American Unitarian Association at the time of consolidation did play varsity football at Harvard, but one wonders if he was an exception rather than the Unitarian rule.
As always, your comments and speculations on this subject — a subject of great import — are more than welcome.
(For the record, I played on my college’s ultimate frisbee team. I don’t think we ever won a game.)
Athletes are conspicuous by their absence on those famous UU lists we seem to be so fond of. Tons of writers and poets; a slew of social reformers; a passel of politicians and states persons; musicians, actors, dancers and painters out the wazoo; scads of scientists. But nary a jock or jockette to be found. Well, William Howard Taft was photographed in knickers on the golf course, I assume that among all of those WASPS there were plenty of other weekend duffers and probably not a few “Hi, ho, tennis anyone?” types. Paul Newman drives race cars and Christopher Reeve famously jumped show horses. There are probably other week-end warrior with shelves full of loving cups and walls covered in ribbons.
But outside their immediate family no one knows or cares.
But, hey, there are a lot of UU’s who like to watch sports. In fact the Chicago Cubs and baseball come near to being a religious experience for me. Does that count? I didn’t think so.
Wouldn’t it be great to have our own UU Hank Greenberg, a Great Liberal Hope battling for the Heavy Weight Belt, or a Billie Jean King knocking the stuffing out of some Fundi Bobby Riggs?
Just dreaming.
I fenced in high school and college, played field hockey in high school, and was fairly mediocre at both. Now, I ride dressage and I hear I’m pretty good at it; not great, but good. Although now I also am a *lapsed* Unitarian…maybe that accounts for it?
First Parish in Concord YRUU defeated the Trinity Congregational Church Youth Group in floor hockey one year during my tenure as youth advisor. The Tri-Con kids, however, had the equipment and played regularly; we were just the invited guests.
Even among UU bloggers that are aggregated on uupdates, there are at least 3 triathletes, a marathoner and a cyclist. Several people from my tiny local congregation were involved in my first 10K run last year too.
I think there may be a difference between participating in sports and watching sports. That said, you may be able to see my son jump off the boat at the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in June even if he won’t be racing with the pros that will be on TV.
Maybe we’d have more UU athletes if UUs valued athletics more. Just the thing about the basketball hoop at church is kind of a hint. At youth and young adult cons, there are rarely any sports beyond ultimate frisbee and drifting about in a pool. If I was a UU kid who was a jock, I’d probably not want to be around UUs that much as they don’t do much in the way of team or competitive sports.
Maybe there’d be more boys in YRUU if they got together and did something physical. And bowling doesn’t count.
Wasn’t Rev. Steve Cook an Olympic fencer?