‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and Smile, Smile, Smile’, written by George and Felix Powell in 1915, became a popular World War 1 marching song, not least as it served, with its jaunty lyrical tune, to boost the morale of the troops in the face of the horrors of war. Its verse included the lines: “What’s the use of worrying? It never was worth while so pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.” It would seem like good advice, just as we can “laugh at adversity”.
Many people over the years and around the world have shown they appreciate the value, beauty and benefit of smiling as can be found from numerous quotations about it. Connie Stevens states that, “Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.” Joe Brown helpfully encourages us to “Learn to smile at every situation. See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability.” We recall the character Dr. Seuss saying, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” while the artist Leonardo da Vinci declared, “I love those who can smile in trouble.” Daniel Willey suggested that “You don’t have to be happy to smile.” Someone else has stated simply: “If you are too busy to smile, you are too busy.” Smile, smile, smile!
If many people do indeed appreciate the value, beauty and benefit of smiling in all areas of life, including war, then the principle should apply to sport. It is interesting that in a recent article about the Brazilian soccer team that won the World Cup in 1958 the team employed Professor João Carvalhaes as the team’s psychologist (well before other countries or clubs clicked on the value of psychologists in sport) who helped the players, in the words of their defender, Nilson Santos, to learn to “enter the pitch smiling”. It certainly seemed to work!
It follows therefore that children especially should be playing sport with a smile on their face throughout. What is more they have every reason to do so. They should have a smile on their face when they realise what a privilege it is to play sport, not least to be healthy enough, to have facilities, to have opportunities to do so. They should smile when it is put to them that there are numerous and enormous benefits for them in playing sport, by giving fitness, lessons and opportunities denied elsewhere. In smiling they will recognise friends and fun on the field; they will exude confidence while at the same time “Your smile will give you a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you” in the view of Les Brown.
Of course, many people will disagree vehemently with such an exhortation. They will say that sport is a serious business; it may be at professional level but it is certainly not at school level (though even at professional level those sportsmen and women should change their attitude towards smiling, in the light of what is said here). Folk say there is no place for smiling in school sport as there is a lot riding on the result; no, there is not – there is nothing of any significance riding on the result! Some say that players cannot smile while playing sport because that is their job; who says we cannot smile in our job? Others will argue that if players smile during a match they will not do well; they have to focus and psyche themselves to do well, yet that is to ignore the advice that children play well because they enjoy the sport (as opposed enjoying sport because they play well).
If we struggle to see how on earth smiling can help in sport, not least when we face defeat, we should consider the unknown person who said that “There is always a reason to smile. Find it.” Another unknown writer stated that “Smiling doesn’t necessarily mean you’re happy. Sometimes it just means you’re strong.” When considering how our children may be successful we should heed the words of Andrew Carnegie who said, “There is little success where there is little laughter.”
The saddest sight must be to watch children not enjoying their sport. It is time we put a smile back on their faces. Our children must pack away all their troubles (and while they are at it, they might also add all their stumbles, fumbles, grumbles, wobbles, hobbles and quibbles) in their kit bag and go out on the sports field and smile, smile, smile. If it worked for war, it will work for sport. It may well result in what someone has said: “Smiling is my favourite exercise.” That should bring a smile to our face as well.
