[DFT] Fw: [ChivalryToday] Chivalry Uncorked

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Chivalry Uncorked
By Scott Farrell
©2003 Shining Armor Enterprises
www.ChivalryToday.com

Some of the most enduring images of knights in shining armor of the
Middle Ages come from jousting tournaments - unique events that
combined the grandeur of a parade with the athletic challenge of a
sporting event. These jousts were a means for knights to both display
and improve their martial skills.

Like modern sports events, medieval tournaments had regulations.
Whether the competition was on horseback with lances, or on foot with
halberds or swords, knights had to abide by specific "rules of the
lists" in order to participate.

Many of these rules emphasized parity - making sure that the knights
were armed and equipped equally. In "The History of Heraldry," Thomas
Robson describes a tournament held in 1467. Before the jousting began,
Robson says:

"The constable and marshal did survey the lances and other weapons
wherewith the combat should be performed, making them of equal and even
measure."

The reason for this is simple: In a joust, the knight with a longer
lance would have an automatic advantage. With both knights carrying
lances of equal length, as Robson describes, the winner would be
determined purely on skill, not by superior equipment.

In modern sports, rules still specify the length, weight and design of
the equipment athletes are allowed to use. This conforms to our sense
of sportsmanship - a concept drawn directly from the Code of Chivalry.
When an athlete tries to subvert the rules and boost his or her own
performance by using prohibited equipment, the public feels betrayed.

Such was the case on Tuesday, June 3, when Chicago Cubs player Sammy
Sosa was ejected from a baseball game against Tampa Bay after an umpire
discovered his bat had been hollowed out and filled with cork - a
practice which reputedly gives the bat more springiness, making it
easier to hit home runs.

Commentators have observed fans' disappointment with a sense of jaded
amusement. "What's the big deal?" asked Jacob Luft, writing for Sports
Illustrated. "If there was any sport where the phrase, 'If you're not
cheating, you're not trying,' applied to, it has to be baseball." It's
a sentiment that has been echoed in the sports sections of newspapers
around the country.

Sosa is known not just for his skill on the field, but also for his
kindness, generosity and cheerful demeanor - he is, to many admirers,
the epitome of modern chivalry. It's sad to think how many young men
and women who, when taking a test in school, or applying for their
first job, or playing on an athletic team of their own, will remember
the lesson demonstrated by their hero on at least one occasion: When
you want to excel, it's okay to break the rules.

 From jousting tournaments to modern baseball games, sports represent
not just physical achievement, but also the triumph of the human spirit
over adversity, temptation and ego. Medieval knights knew that the goal
of competition was not just to win glory for themselves, but to
demonstrate the value of the Code of Chivalry to those who watched from
the sidelines. Relying on skill and determination instead of superior
equipment is what inspires spectators, builds good reputation and
transforms an athlete into a knight in shining armor.

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Chivalry Today was the subject of the article "Knight Vision" in the
Thursday, June 5th, edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune. You can
read the article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/thu/currents/
index.html?0.654793669324338

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Readers are permitted and encouraged to share this article with
friends, family and co-workers as a way of promoting the value of the
Code of Chivalry in the modern world. Please include all copyright
statements and attributions when sharing Chivalry Today articles.
Copyright 2003 Scott Farrell and Shining Armor Enterprises. Visit our
website at www.ChivalryToday.com .