You Cannot Fix a Real Faith
When I learned that members of my team, boys whom I had trusted and to whom I had devoted intense training and guidance---when I learned that these boys had been fixed by professional gamblers, my faith and belief in the basic integrity of youth received a severe blow. Any weaker confidence in the principles upon which I have tried to base my life might well have folded under its force. Yet I can honestly say that my belief in the real decency of the great majority of our young men and the value of athletics is as strong as ever. The indiscretions of a few youngsters cannot destroy a faith built up by thirty-four years of experience with other boys who have justified that faith.
Throughout the years I’ve seen thousands of boys getting important training on the athletic field. I have seen them learn honestly and fair play, and I’ ve seen them learn to subordinate themselves for the benefit of their team. What is more important, I’ve seen them take the lessons they have learned here into the situations they’ve had to face in later life. many of the boys I’ve helped to teach have become outstanding members of their communities.
I realized that the responsibilities of any teacher are great and that those of a coach who spends more time with his pupils than any other teachers are even greater. Not only do I spend more time, but I feel emotionally closer to them, seeing and sustaining my students when they lose as well as when they win.
Because of this peculiarly intimate relationship with the members of my team in their most impressionable and formative years, I know that I can exercise great influence for good or bad on them. I try by the example of my own character and actions to set them a standard of moral behavior. For this reason, I have always tried to be very clear in my own mind about the principles in which I believe.
Take the desire to win, fundamental with every competitor. Naturally, it’s important to me, both as a player and coach and as a human being. I believe the competitive urge is a fine, wholesome direction of energy. But I also realize that the desire to win must be wedded to an ideal, an ethical way of life. It must never become so strong that it dwarfs every other aspect of the game or of life.
As a coach I have always tried to emphasize that winning is not enough. The game must be played right. I have often said that I would rather see my teams lose a game in which they played well than win with a sloppy performance that reflected no credit, except that it was sufficient to win. So I’ve tried to develop a way of thinking that sees life, and the things I do, as a whole, with every act relating to anther set. This puts things in true perspective.
I believe in the resilience, in the bounce, of youth. I get rich satisfaction from working with young people, providing leadership and friendship during the tortuous but exciting years that shape them toward maturity. I honestly think no more worthwhile activity could occupy my time.Edwin Markham has summed it up better than I could. He wrote:
"There is a destiny that makes us brothers,
None goes his way alone,
All that we send into the lives of others,
Comes back into our own."
参考译文
真正的信仰不容“操纵”
纳特.霍尔曼
当我获悉我的队员，那些我信任并倾力进行高强度训练和悉心指导的小伙子们遭到职业赌徒的“操纵”时，我对年轻人具备起码的诚实品质的信念遭到重创。遭到这种打击，倘若我对自己生活准则的信心稍有不足，就可能放弃这一准则。然而，我可以坦诚地说，我一如既往地相信大多数年轻人的确循规蹈矩，相信体育运动的价值。个别年轻人轻率的行为无法摧毁我三十四年来和其他孩子相处时树立起的信念，这些孩子证实了我的信念。
这些年我看到成千上万的孩子在竞技场接受重要的训练，看着他们学会诚实、公平地比赛，学会顾全大局。更重要的是，看着他们将这里学到的知识运用到将来必须直面的人生。我帮助和培养过的许多孩子已经成为优秀的社会成员。
我认识到教师的职责是伟大的，而教练和学生呆在一起的时间更多，他们的职责更伟大。我不仅花费了更多的时间，在感情上也与他们贴得更近。不管学生胜负与否，我都陪伴、支持着他们。
在他们最难忘的成长岁月，我和队员们建立了特别亲密的关系。所以，我知道自己能给他们好的或坏的影响。我努力以自己的性格和行为为他们树立道德规范。因此，我心里时刻谨记信仰和原则。
要赢，这种欲望对每位竞争者至关重要。它对我自然也很重要，无论是作为一名选手、教练还是一个普通人。我相信竞争的欲望能使精力朝着良好健康的方向发展，但我也认识到，获胜的欲望必须与理想、有道德的生活方式联姻，求胜心一定不能太强，以致妨碍比赛或生活的其他方面。
作为一个教练，我总是努力强调赢还不够，比赛必须公正。我常说，我宁可队员是发挥出色的失败者，也不愿他们是行为不光彩是胜利者，除非获胜是唯一的目的。所以我努力培养学生的思维方式，让他们像我一样将生活和工作视为一体，明白每次行动与其他行为息息相关。这才是对待事物的正确观点。
我相信年轻人充满活力，能在他们走向成熟的曲折而令人振奋的岁月作他们的良师益友让我非常满足。说实话，我认为没有什么工作能比它更值得付出时间了。埃德温·马卡姆比我总结得更好，他说：
“命运让我们成为兄弟，没有人可以各自独立。
我们送入别人生命里的，转而又回报给我们自己。”
附注：
纳特.霍尔曼：是凯尔特人队的元老级传奇球星，担任美国篮球教练协会主席。
