In sports, we crucify athletes who put their own numbers ahead of their teams’ needs.

When a player swings for the fences instead of a sacrifice bunt, we have a right to call him or her selfish.

When a player does not make the extra pass and settles for a tough jump shot, we have a right to yell.

When Barry Bonds killed the San Francisco Giants this season with his poor outfield play just to become the Major League Baseball home run champion, he had a right to be criticized.

As fans, we expect athletes to do their best. But we also expect them to think getting a victory is more important than personal stats.

That is why I find track so refreshing.

When interviewing athletes, I often hear about numbers they are gunning for.

They talk about how many seconds they are trying to trim off their times or how high they want to jump at the OVC Indoor championships.

The athletes talk about how many feet they want to add to a throw or about being in the best shape possible when OVC championships come around.

However, unlike most sports, these lofty numbers are not for selfish reasons. Sure, each one would like to be an OVC champion, but these numbers are for the benefit of the team.

These athletes go into the season with an idea of what time, height or distance is needed to score the greatest amount of points for the team.

Whenever I have asked an athlete their goal for the season, the first thing he or she always says is “a team championship.” This is followed by a second goal – the number that will help make the team championship for the team a reality.

In a sport like track, an athlete can shoot for a ridiculous number and it can only benefit – not hurt – the team as a whole.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at [email protected].