Where Have All the Corinthians Gone?

WHERE HAVE ALL THE CORINTHIANS GONE?

By Steve Davidson

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The Montréal Review, August 2024

A spirit of goodness haunts the Earth. Never quite dominant, never quite disappearing, always beloved.

“Don’t let it be forgot that once there was a spot/For one brief shining moment/That was known as Camelot”, as the Lerner-Loewe lyrics from the Broadway show remind us. Camelot and King Arthur were, what, a thousand years ago? Yet, they are still with us. Immortal. Why?

The reason may be that there is something about a spirit of resolute, courageous, unswerving goodness and generosity that people find eternally, powerfully appealing. That is the spirit of Camelot—brave knights, a just and kindly king, a beautiful queen, all dedicated to a vision of love, and idealistic self-sacrifice, and justice, within an elegant and prosperous community. The elemental Good Parents, perhaps, managing the elemental Good Home.

Part of what makes the Legend of Camelot so compelling, so . . . well, charismatic . . . is that Camelot’s king, queen, and knights have it all, about as glorious an existence as anyone could imagine. But their dedication was not to themselves, but to those who were decent yet oppressed, the good but vulnerable, the kind of dispossessed humanity other, similarly favored aristocrats might ignore, or even exploit (e.g., see Lawrence James’s Aristocrats, or Simon Heffer’s High Minds).

The Legendary Corinthian Spirit

The Corinthian FC, football club (soccer to some), is a much-revered, world-wide symbol of resolute respect and generosity in sport—athletic high-mindedness. The Corinthian Spirit is the top standard of behavior and attitude in athletics, a step above the Olympic Spirit. (The platinum medal, as it were—for sportsmanship.)

The Corinthian FC (Corinthian-Casuals, currently) was founded in 1882 in England with the express purpose of linking first-class sports competence with first-class sportsmanship. With the Corinthians, no degree of playing brilliance ever justified any degree of disrespect or selfishness on the field. As an indication of their commitment to athletic respect—if the Corinthians were deemed to have committed a foul, their goalkeeper would graciously step away from the goal, and allow the opposing team to make an unhindered goal kick. The team’s traditional insistence on sharing, in which each team member helped the other, resulted in a highly effective, fluid style of play which was focused, not on individual ego dominance, but on team victory.

The Corinthians—who played primarily for the love of the sport, and for the athletic camaraderie—became world-wide emissaries, in their sporting travels, of the British sense of fair play. Some railway workers in Brazil were so impressed by the visiting Corinthians’ skill and decency, that the Brazilians named their own team Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, now one of the leading Latin American football clubs.

The Character Covenant

Contemporary Britain was a hotbed of character formation and celebration, (e.g., see Samuel Smiles’s Character, Emerson’s English Traits, and Gibson’s A Brief History of Britain). The profound belief was that behavior flowed from character, and thus, if good behavior were anyone’s concern, which, presumably, it would be, the inculcation of high character was a national priority. The formation, and immense popularity, of Corinthian FC was an indication of the high character aspirations of Victorian Britain, though not a unique one.

For example, Sherlock Holmes is generally acknowledged as the preeminent character in all of literature (consider that this includes Odysseus, Genji, Hamlet, Anna Karenina, Don Quixote, D’Artagnan, Elizabeth Bennet, Huckleberry Finn, James Bond, Batman . . . and everyone else). Why? What’s so great about a detective who lives at 221B Baker Street, smokes a pipe, has a doctor as a best friend, and goes sleuthing about at night in horse-drawn cabs amid spooky gaslight?

It’s elementary.

Sherlock Holmes was the creation of a doctor (Doyle), and was based on a famous teaching doctor (Bell); thus, the Holmes character is rooted in high intelligence, rigorous scientific education, gentle compassion, and self-sacrificing dedication to the alleviation of suffering in all of humanity, without regard to race, creed, color, or ability to pay. Add loyal friendship, utter fearlessness, physical toughness, street smarts, a pistol, and a cozy fireplace and you have an icon representing the best that humanity has to offer.

A Corinthian.

Corinthian Athletics

The “Wizard of Westwood”, John Wooden, was perhaps the greatest college basketball coach of all time, winning seven championships in a row. His books, like My Personal Best and A Game Plan for Life, are staples of business schools. Wooden’s success is generally attributed not only to his coaching acumen, but also to his dedication to developing his players as people. As the professional sports commentator Bob Costas remarked, “Few people in any walk of life have combined such overwhelming success with such unshakable integrity. The principles which guided his life and career endure.” And what were those principles?

“Never cease trying to be the best you can be.” “Never lie; never cheat; don’t make excuses.” “No player is bigger or better than the team.” “Stand up for what you believe—even when you stand alone.” “A door closes, another opens.” Coach Wooden developed what he called the Pyramid of Success. At the very base of that pyramid were these three qualities: Friendship, Loyalty, and Cooperation.

A Corinthian.

Once, in Perth, Australia, at the Hopman Cup tennis tournament, two professional players, Lleyton Hewitt and Jack Sock, were battling it out. Hewitt served, and, as sometimes happens, the ball was slightly past the line—out. At least, that’s how the umpire called it. But Sock had a better view, and could see that the ball had just caught the edge of the line. Sock shouted to Hewitt, “It was in, if you want to challenge it.” Hewitt challenged it, then the umpire conceded that Hewitt’s serve was good. The crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers, warmly appreciating Jack Sock’s splendid show of sportsmanship.

A Corinthian.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship seems a little like dieting, or reading Shakespeare. Everyone endorses it, but almost everyone finds it hard to do, especially when games are close, or at the championship stage. Everyone says, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game”. Then they lose a game, and reconsider.

The emphasis on being a good sport seems most consistently applied in youth athletics, wherein everyone is fairly conscious that they are shaping the next generation of sales reps, car mechanics, and voters. But even in youth sports the pressures to win at all costs can be overwhelming.

Parents yell at the kids. Coaches yell at the kids. Parents yell at the coaches. Parents yell at the other parents. The triumphs of competition can rise to the level of fisticuffs, death threats, and homicide. (Is this anything like what Nike, the Goddess of Victory, had in mind?)

In all the thrilling commotion, the idea of sportsmanship can become trampled underfoot. So, it might be useful to review some of the traditional principles of being a good sport, the basis of what might be called

Corinthianism:

Golden Rule. Empathy is the foundation of relationships, and sportsmanship. What if you were losing—wouldn’t you feel terrible? Consider your opponents’ feelings.
Respect for Opponents. Above and beyond compassion are overt signs of consideration. Wave. Say hello. Be friendly. Shake hands. If your opponent happens to fall, offer your hand, to help them up. Congratulate the other team for good play. (Even Captain Hook, when he was dueling with Peter Pan, craved to be considered an upright combatant displaying “good form”.)
Respect for the Game. Honor your teammates, the coaches, the parents, the fans, the refs and umpires, the rules, and the opposition (as well as yourself, of course). Honor, in a sense, the spirit of fair play.
No Excuses. If you lost, you lost. Don’t blame the competing players, the refs, the umpires, the coaches, the crowd, the weather, or anything else. Ironically, gracious losers often come out more admired than trash-talkers who garner prizes.
Keep Your Cool. Joe Montana was one of the finest quarterbacks in history, a four-time Super Bowl champion. He never lost his cool. More than a few excellent athletes have found themselves ejected from competition simply because they could not, or would not, manage their emotions. (As pointed out by the psychologist Dr. Strozzi-Heckler, trainer of military commandos—if you can’t stay calm, you can’t shoot straight.)
Stay Positive. Being a winner isn’t just something on the scoreboard. It’s an attitude, and a way of life. Montana said he always walked out on a field thinking that, somehow, he would find a way to win. Stay positive within yourself, and with your teammates. Strong confidence is infectious.
Never Cheat. The final, but most obvious, principle—follow the rules, obey the officials, listen to the coaches, deal fairly with your opponents. (As Alexander the Great believed—a stolen victory is no victory at all.)

The Corinthian Spirit in Sailing

Strangely, or not, the current thriving home of the Corinthian mentality appears to be in competitive sailing. The reason is that out on the water, there are no refs. No umpires. No cameras. No observing fans. Just competitors. So, a fair match absolutely depends on the positive character development, and the Corinthian habits, of every competitor. Corinthian sailors are profoundly self-governing, which is to say, independent and responsible.

If they foul a competing boat, they announce it immediately, and take remedial action promptly. Otherwise, the whole regatta collapses. And then . . . all the fun goes away.

What Is the Corinthian Spirit, Anyhow?

The Corinthian Spirit is a set of positive, generous attitudes which contribute to camaraderie and bonhomie among team members and competitors, and which inspire ambitious, consistent, top-flight performance. Thus, the Corinthian Spirit celebrates outstanding performance within a resolute frame of exceptional decency. The Corinthian Spirit is that mentality which generates both character goodness and behavioral excellence.

So . . . play hard, but, above all, play fair . . . else . . . you’re not quite playing.

Charisma/Charity/Grace

Tracing words back to their semantic origins, especially when those words are shrouded in murky histories, is something of an intellectual gamble. However, relative to the generous, warm, and highly appealing Corinthian Spirit, there does appear to be a remarkable semantic and etymological overlap among the words charisma, charity, and grace.

Charisma conventionally refers to a quality of radiantly warm, ineffably serene, lighthearted, cheerful self-confidence which is utterly charming to onlookers, perfectly disarming, and ultimately quite persuasive. The actress Audrey Hepburn is probably a good example of a charismatic personality.

Charity conventionally refers to generosity towards those in need, say, with money, food, or goods. Further, a charitable attitude typically indicates a willingness to grant others, especially opponents, the benefit of the doubt.

Grace is somewhat ambiguous. It typically refers to smooth, precise, impressive movement, as well as to receiving forgiveness, and perhaps special honor.

Things start to get tangled when it turns out that charisma can be linguistically traced to favor freely given, gift of grace, as well as to spiritual power. That implies that making a positive impression partly results from generosity—charity. Charity is the familiar caritas in Latin, and is often translated as agape—the famous Greek term indicating broadly offered, selfless love. The Three Charities in ancient Greece, were the Three Graces, in ancient Rome. They were renowned, and much-loved, for charismatically bringing to humanity radiant joy, amused merriment, and lively abundance.

All of which is to say that . . . a Corinthian approach to relationships, including competition, may appear to some minds as boring, weak, and foolish. However, linguistic analysis suggests that there is something charismatic about kind, cheerful generosity which, in its radiant confidence, seems to be operating out of a position of almost spiritual strength. There is something delightful and convincing in witnessing unhesitatingly fair behavior—gestures of justice which impart grace to the giver, resulting in subtle, surprising power.

A quick review of the video of Jack Sock spontaneously announcing that his opponent’s serve, declared out by the umpire, was, in fact, good, provides a charming and probably timeless snapshot of the Corinthian Spirit in action. Jack, bright-eyed, cheerful, and amused, is broadly smiling; his opponent laughs pleasantly; the audience laughs along; and when the umpire, smiling, verifies that Jack has, in fact, graciously given up a point, the audience erupts in generous cheers and applause.

With that one gesture, Jack Sock won the audience’s heart, and perhaps, however modest, eternal Corinthian glory. (In case you are wondering, Jack won an Olympic gold medal in tennis, proving that nice guys can and do finish first!)

The Olympic Spirit

The Olympic Spirit is perhaps the original version of the Corinthian Spirit. It’s hard to identify the source of the Olympic Spirit, as there seem to be various streams of influence.

One scenario is that the ancient Greeks had a strategic and tactical need to know exactly who, among their soldiers and marines, were the strongest, the toughest, the fastest, the best boxers and wrestlers, the best javelin throwers, and so on. Therefore, the Olympic Games maintained a premium on strict honesty—no cheating, because cheating would generate false information about athletic competence, which could have disastrous military consequences.

A cardinal sin, in combat as well as sports, is over-confidence, that is, underestimating the competition. Sacrosanct, therefore, was the admonition to respect opponents.

Substantial prize money tends to encourage cheating. So, the prizes at the ancient Games were largely symbolic, like wreaths of laurel, olive, or pine. Furthermore, a religious atmosphere surrounded the Games, imbuing the intense athletic competitions with a profound aura of higher cultural aspirations, a courageous striving towards greatness for its own sake. And, there was no way anyone could safely assemble, and then fairly test their athletes, in the midst of war. So, everyone agreed that military activity would be suspended for the duration of the Games.

All of that evolved, then, as now, into a guiding Olympic Spirit (e.g., see Swaddling’s The Ancient Olympic Games):

Peace, and mutual safety, during the Games.
A festive atmosphere of friendly relationships and cheerful activities, involving music, drama, and feasting, in addition to athletics.
A profound, almost romantic respect for the Games as representative of the highest human ideals. An endorsement of the principle that symbolic rewards (which are infinite), are more meaningful than material rewards (which are finite).
A celebration of the honor of joining together with, and competing against, renowned champions, aside from the specific issue of winning or losing. What’s important is the public display of commitment to high ideals and excellent performance (arete).
No results shall be due to deception, nor to political or financial manipulation. Determination by all—judges, competitors, and fans—that competition shall be fair and honest, with respect for competitors, in compliance with the rules, and in compliance with the decisions of the judges.
In other words, mutual reverence for the ideals of sportsmanship.
The ultimate goal is to build a more peaceful, cooperative world, through athletic competitions symbolic of the highest level of human excellence, respect, and honesty.

The Olympic Spirit, thus, essentially is about respectful competition conducted fairly. The Corinthian Spirit takes that one step further, promising to sacrifice any advantage if that was somehow unfairly achieved, even if by chance. (That’s how Jack Sock won the heart of the audience at the Hopman Cup.)

Praxis

Zounds, as Zeus might have said. Camelot, sportsmanship, the Corinthian Spirit, basketball, tennis, sailing, and the Olympic Spirit make for a heady mix, of ancient lineage, physical prowess, and high ideals. But how does all that translate into practice?

Well, everything is about people. And people are about personalities. So, at every step of the way, character determines action, then action determines outcomes. The way to actualize the Corinthian Spirit in the human community is to broadly develop the corresponding character.

The Corinthian Personality

Here, for your consideration, is a formulation of what might be called the Corinthian Character:

Cheerfulness. Feeling good goes a long way toward actuating the range of Corinthian behaviors—acceptance of the rules and the assigned authorities, respect for the opposition, and determination to play fair. There’s always something good going on wherever you are, and something good within you. Check it out, then smile. Cheerfulness is part of charisma, with a charm and grace of its own—a powerful effect.
Ambition. Set your goals high. Establish solid standards, then meet them consistently. Everyone can’t be an Olympian, but everyone, as Coach Wooden pointed out, can consistently strive for their personal best. That’s the best you can do, and if you do that, it will be enough. At the very least, when it’s all over, you can take satisfaction in saying, “I tried my hardest”.
Persistence: Call it what you will—tough-mindedness, dedication, or follow-through— sheer keeping going wins a lot of championships. When the going gets tough, everyone thinks about quitting. Don’t. As the famous movie boxing champ, Rocky Balboa said, “Going in one more round when you don’t think you can, that’s what makes all the difference in your life”.
Honesty. There are always ways to cheat. To cut corners. To deceive. Don’t do it. For one thing, everyone is watching. Everyone can tell who can be trusted, and who can’t. Be the one they can trust. Those are the people who reap the greatest rewards in the long haul. At a minimum, when the last game has been played, and you come face to face with yourself, you want to be able to look yourself in the eye. (Don’t you?)
Generosity. This is one step above simply playing fair. This is putting yourself in your opponents’ shoes. This is that manifest willingness to give back when you don’t have to, to make sure that the whole contest is on the up and up, even when it costs you. People can recognize a generous spirit. And they honor it highly. (And vice versa.)
Love. The best players, the real winners, truly love who they are, and what they do, for their own sake—the family, the neighborhood, the career, the profession, the nation, the team . . . the game. Real competitors play in the heat, in the cold, in the rain, in the mud, without complaint . . . just for the love of it.
Party! As the respected sports coach and commentator John Madden laid down in his Law: it’s a game, and the point of the game is not to fight with each other, or even to make money . . . it’s to have fun. So, when it’s all over—win, lose, or draw—shake hands, turn on the music, and pop the champagne! As the Three Graces might have said: let there be joyful abundance.

Teaching/Learning the Corinthian Personality

Now, I know what you’re saying—“All that’s well and good, but how does it happen?” The old-fashioned way: practice. Here’s how to teach young people, or yourself, Corinthian Qualities:

Role Model. Pick someone outstanding as an example to follow, like John Wooden, who was himself a champion, and who trained champions, or Jack Sock, who was a gold-medal winner, and currently teaches tennis at an elite college. The marvelously athletic Wonder Woman, in myth, and the brilliant Danica Patrick, on the automobile racetrack, are worthy of emulation. The benefit of charismatic role models is that they embody, in three-dimensional motion, how someone with an admired set of qualities actually behaves. A vivid model can then be imitated, in a process of natural acquisition.
Reading: Extensive linguistic exposure to ideas can help flesh out principles, and can help with recall. John Wooden’s books provide a wealth of detail about the Pyramid of Success and the philosophy of personal best. Stories, like “The Good Samaritan”, help inspire generous attitudes and behaviors. Danica Patrick’s autobiography Danica—Crossing the Line tells what it is like to battle for respect in a dangerous, hyper-competitive world.
Movies. Many movies portray in a persuasive, motivating manner the beauty of generosity. The Rocky Balboa, and Sherlock Holmes movies portray some aspects of the Corinthian Spirit, but there are many others. Classic cowboy movies, like Shane, or television shows, like the one featuring the dark western knight, Paladin, often have as a theme a lone stranger who bravely, yet sagely, risks his life on behalf of innocent victims.
Mantras. “One more round”, or, “Keep moving forward”, from Rocky. “I guarantee it”, from the quarterback Joe Namath. “Don’t unravel—stay raveled”, from Coach John Madden. “Challenge it!”, from Jack Sock. Whatever perks you up, and keeps you going. When the game is long, and the sky is dark, repeat your favorite mantra.
Meditation. Dr. Strozzi-Heckler, the commando trainer, in The Leadership Dojo, encourages the practice of meditation to calm fears, and to learn to manage those fears wherever you might find yourself. With practice, you can know that you have a safe sanctuary whatever the circumstances—your own well-developed mind.
Repetition. It’s okay to read about something, and think you basically grasp it, but, considering karate training, as well as astronaut training, the only way to make a Corinthian attitude and behavior automatic, so it’s there when you need it, under pressure, is to do it hundreds of times. That means writing it on your schedule, posting it on your wall, planning to practice it every day, reviewing every day to make sure you did it, and logging your accomplishments. “Count your courage”, and “Count your generosity”, so to speak. Then, every day that you work on developing your character—give yourself abundant credit!
Communities. There are many groups around the world which nurture self-control, life competence, justice, and generosity, which teach the charisma of caritas. Their get-togethers, dinners, readings, songs, and camaraderie can go along way towards establishing patterns of Corinthian thinking, feeling, and acting which will last a lifetime. Camelot’s Round Table was one such community, naturally. Not a few sailing clubs are called Corinthian. And, of course, Corinthian FC is still there, still playing, still promoting the Corinthian Spirit. “Seek, and ye shall find”, as the saying goes.

The Un-Corinthian Spirit

Mae West, beloved entertainer from a bygone era, reveled in un-Corinthian comments. “I generally avoid temptation, unless I can’t resist it.” “It ain’t no sin if you crack a few laws now and then, just so long as you don’t break any.” Then there’s that famous mutual rejection of humanity, variously attributed to Groucho Marx, or John Galsworthy, “I wouldn’t want to be in a club that would have someone like me as a member”.

And the comedy troupe Monty Python has a cute un-Corinthian sketch titled “The Cheese Shop”. A hungry customer comes into a cheese shop, run by a jolly Mr. Wensleydale, to buy some cheese. Although the customer bears a formidable list of cheeses he is willing to buy, at the announcement of each type of cheese, Mr. Wensleydale demurs in a litany of felicitous evasions— “Normally say yes”, “Fresh out”, “Get that on Monday”, “Never at the end of the week”, “Not as such”, “Sorry”, and so on. Finally, the exasperated customer bluntly asks the proprietor, “Have you in fact got any cheese here at all?” The proprietor then happily confesses— “No; I was deliberately wasting your time”. The customer pulls out a pistol and shoots Mr. Wensleydale dead.

Mae West and the Pythons were just having fun, of course. But anti-Corinthianism, as perhaps it may be termed, seems to be rampant.

The Lure of Sociopathy

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”

There is a certain je ne sais quoi panache to really arrogant, obnoxious comments. There is a certain uncanny, almost magnetic appeal to a really icy, lethal mentality, to that stunning air of cold superiority. It probably comes from Darwin’s Fiend—the reality that, when violent push comes to dangerous shove, the secret rescuer the tribe turns to is the group’s leading sociopath, the one who can carve up the intruders with barely a backward glance, and save the village. Sociopathy has a certain archetypal attraction.

But one must move beyond archetypes.

The mind has an interesting arrangement, reflected in both its architecture and its phenomenology. The lower level, the limbic system, the more archetypal level, seems to be something of an emergency service, which kicks into gear when the individual is faced with a vile threat or sterling opportunity. In the first instance, a negative reaction—avoidance or attack—is activated. “Danger! Time to run! Time to kill!” In the second instance, a positive reaction—approach and acquisition—is activated. “I need to take this thing right now, before someone else sees it!” The fight-flight-grab response. Pretty primitive. In a pinch, it works fairly well, as you can see by looking at the people around you—eight billion and counting.

The upper level, the cortex, more advanced, is where the really intriguing things reside—Buddha, Principia Mathematica, Eggs Benedict, The Little Prince, the Guggenheim Museum, Chartreuse liqueur, haiku poems, “Ecclesiastes”, “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera” as the Thai king said in The King and I. Ultimately, it’s the cortex, the seat of rationality, which determines what will work and what won’t, what’s fair and what isn’t, what’s a sensible strategy and what’s another foolish move.

Unfortunately for Themis, the Goddess of Justice, in the economics of the mind, the emotions can fairly easily roll over reason, the same way a screaming ambulance can push aside diligent commuters on their way to work. An emergency is an emergency, and they seem to be everywhere, even if most of them are ginned up by bettors with a dog in the fight.

Coping with Un-Corinthians

Dealing with cheaters goes all the way back to the ancient Olympics, if not farther. The quasi-legal coping procedure, within sports, is well-worked out:

Competition Contract. Before the games even begin, everyone involved agrees to the ground rules—how the game is to be played, what moves are legitimate and what moves are violations, what counts as victory and loss, what rule book will be the accepted reference, who is finally in charge, who will judge deviations from the rules, how disputes will be resolved, and so on. That mutual agreement as to process and authority becomes, in effect, or in fact, a contract to which everyone reasonably can be held.
Observation. Everyone is watching the game, including the participants. Everyone knows the rules. And thus, everyone can observe when proper play has been violated.
Giving Notice. If a violation is observed, the observation needs to be announced. That is, the offending player needs to be publicly informed that, in the view of the informer, a violation has occurred, and is not acceptable.
Remedy, Informal. The offender needs to stop offending. An apology ought to be offered. (If a Corinthian, this is the chance to make a gracious gesture of generosity!)
Remedy, Formal. If the offender disputes the observation, the case can be referred to the authorities. The authorities can determine if a violation has occurred, and then, if justified, assign an appropriate penalty.
Remedy, Final. Some people just don’t learn. Players who repeatedly violate the rules, and defy the legitimate authorities, can be excluded from the game.

All this applies, of course, not only to sports, but to human relationships in general. Individuals, groups, and institutions which violate basic standards of decency can be called out by the media, eventually reported to the police or other authority, possibly consequenced by various levels of judges, and even sequestered from normal society. Banks which knowingly and repeatedly deal in criminal money can eventually lose their charter for banking. Countries which brazenly defy reasonable rules of good conduct can find themselves ratcheting downward in the rankings of admired countries, as well as find it difficult to borrow money, or purchase necessary supplies. Really serious miscreants can find themselves up against the storied wall.

Just as Corinthianism can be applied to humanity in general, so can, what might be called, anti-Corinthianism. Presumably qualifying as Corinthians would be King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes, Corinthian FC and John Wooden, as well as, perhaps, the Spartan 300 at Thermopylae, Audrey Hepburn, and Mother Teresa. Leading dark lights for the anti-Corinthians might be Jack the Ripper, Al Capone, the Assyrians, and Attila the Hun. (Although, obviously, subjectivity plays a part here.)

Quo Vadis, Corinthian Spirit?

In any case, Corinthianism would seem to be a splendid, though difficult, ideal for humanity generally, not just in sports. And anti-Corinthianism would seem to be a scourge to be condemned by the general public, however glamourous it might at some points appear.

Forgive your enemies,
But never forget their names.

- John F. Kennedy

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Dr. Steve Davidson is a clinical psychologist in Laguna Beach, California, with many years of experience. He has developed a new theory of personality and psychotherapy called human operations. It conceives of people as goal-oriented systems aimed at surviving and thriving, as described in his book An Introduction to Human Operations Psychotherapy.

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