Today is our mid-term elections here in the United States and I’ve been feeling the weight of the news. I’m sick of the attack ads and talk of the terrible economy. I’m also over the endless scroll of outrage on social media, and the general sense that everyone is angry at everyone. I want to write about something good today.

And what better place to start than the World Series? I was blown away by the sportsmanship during those games and it felt like a little pocket of goodness in a world where most of what we see is fighting, narcissism, and bad decisions from our leaders. It felt good and a little nostalgic to see a bunch of men treating each other with respect. I miss this and I want more of what I saw during the World Series in every aspect of our lives.

The Brewers Win, and Everyone Wins

First, the obvious: the Brewers won. The team I grew up with just won the first World Series championship in franchise history, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games. If you grew up in Wisconsin, you understand how long we’ve waited for this and how excited we all are.

William Contreras was named World Series MVP. He hit .381 and drove in four runs, but what struck me most was the way he went about it. He worked hard behind the plate, guiding a whole staff of pitchers through the series. When the pitchers were down, he walked over to the mound and seemed to know just what to say to pick them up.

This was my first clue that I was seeing something special unfold on the world stage.

Gracious Players On Both Teams

These games were filled with good sportsmanship and camaraderie. Not just within each team, but across teams.

After heated plays, players constantly checked on each other. There were conversations at first base, high fives, and little moments of connection between people wearing different uniforms and trying with everything they had to beat each other. Within the teams, when things didn’t go their way, you could tell what they were saying to each other. It was some form of encouragement, some form of, “I’ve got you“.

And there was a noticeable absence of unsportsmanlike conduct. No fights. No screaming at the umpires. No theatrical meltdowns over a bad call, and no trash-talking from the dugout. I may have seen one player shake his head at a call, and that was the exception. For a series with this much on the line, the tone was remarkably gracious.

It was so, amazingly nice to see this kind of conduct from two of the best teams in baseball. Congratulations on a tremendous season to both of you. You reminded me and the world of what it’s like to be good humans trying to do extraordinary things.

What My High School Coaches Understood

Watching all of this took me straight back to high school.

My coaches (in swimming and softball) spent as much time on how we behaved as on how we played. We worked on skills, of course, but we also worked on good sportswomanship. We learned to shake hands, to thank the officials, to help the other team’s player up, and to lose with grace and win with humility. It wasn’t a side note. It was part of the curriculum, and they treated it as seriously as any drill.

That ethic used to show up well beyond the field. You saw it in leadership, in government, and in business, at all levels. The idea was that you could compete fiercely and still treat your opponent as a human being. You could disagree and still shake hands afterward.

What We See Now

It feels like we’ve lost that. Bad sportsmanship has become easy to find: between countries, between companies, and especially in politics. We’re so used to watching people trash each other that it can start to feel normal.

And our kids are watching. Unfortunately, much of what they see online rewards the wrong behavior. Bullies get the clicks, outrage gets the views, and the loudest, meanest voices get the most attention. That creates exactly the wrong incentives, and it’s the opposite of what we should want for our society.

A Reminder That Another Way Is Possible

That’s why this World Series felt so refreshing. It was a reminder that you can compete at the highest level, with everything at stake, and still treat each other with respect. It proved that kindness and competitiveness aren’t opposites. The best teams in baseball showed the whole country, live on television, what it looks like to play hard, play well, and be decent.

So congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers on a historic championship, and a huge round of applause to the Tampa Bay Rays, who were clearly also at the top of their game. Thank you both for showing us what class looks like. It’s exactly what the world needs more of right now.

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I’m thinking about writing more about the good in the world, as a way to stay sane and spread some light. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, let me know in the comments. And I’d love to hear about the good things you’ve noticed lately.