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When something significant happens in sports, I sometimes try to discern what the life lessons might be. This year’s Kentucky Derby is such an opportunity. I know nothing about horse racing, but I enjoy the drama and pageantry of the Kentucky Derby and the other two races in the Triple Crown.

This year, for the first time in Derby history, the winner was disqualified for, essentially, going out of his lane on one of the turns. (Who knew they had lanes?) What are some takeaways?

• Competitions have rules. “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” (2 Timothy 2.5, ESV)
• Sometimes infractions are called, and sometimes they’re not. It’s tempting to say something like, “It’s a shame that a good horse was deprived of victory by the officials (‘stewards’). Why can’t they just let them play?” But of course not calling something that should be called is as much of an error as calling something that shouldn’t have been called. Ask The New Orleans Saints about their January 20, 2019, game with the Rams.
• As always, how we handle adversity counts. We’ll see how this horse, his trainers, his owners, and the jockey go on from here.
• Submission, something Americans aren’t always good at, is a necessary character quality. During a World Cup (soccer) game a few years ago, the German team apparently scored a goal, but it was disallowed because of a rule infraction. After the game, an American reported interviewed the German team captain and attempted to bait him into saying something about the officiating. “What do you think of the goal you scored that was taken away?” The German replied, “It’s a goal when the ball goes into the net and the referee allows it. There was no goal.” That’s a submissive attitude!
• There are little-known jobs that sometimes become very important! A normal Kentucky Derby day can come and go with no mention of the stewards. Now, they’re called upon to do their jobs on an international stage. I read recently in The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien: “We are simply called to serve others, often in small ways, and do the best we can with the work entrusted to us.” And, I might add, do the job well when the spotlight isn’t on so that you can perform well when it is. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” (Luke 16.10, ESV)

²⁴ Isn’t it obvious that all runners on the racetrack keep on running to win, but only one receives the victor’s prize? Yet each one of you must run the race to be victorious. ²⁵ A true athlete will be disciplined in every respect, practicing constant self-control in order to win a laurel wreath that quickly withers. But we run our race to win a victor’s crown that will last forever. ²⁶ For that reason, I don’t run just for exercise or box like one throwing aimless punches, ²⁷ but I train like a champion athlete. I subdue my body and get it under my control, so that after preaching the good news to others I myself won’t be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9.24 – 27, The Passion Translation)