With the school year drawing to a close, so too are spring sport seasons. Megyn and Doug spent their weekend at a tennis tournament for their oldest son Yates and a lacrosse game to cheer on a close family friend, and they walked away with a newfound appreciation for the lessons and memories these extracurriculars deliver.
The Emotions
Megyn described the tennis match as “some of the most riveting, stressful, fun, nail-biting times that we have had in recent memory.” Doug, who plays tennis competitively himself, agreed and joked that the “match points all over the place, going both ways” and “the tiebreakers” led to “a good workout… as you’re sort of like jerking along to each shot of the match.”
While Megyn said she has some experience watching her loved ones compete thanks to Doug, he is newer to the spectator scene. “I way prefer to be playing. It is much easier to be the one on the court, because you’re sort of in control… You can control the moment,” he admitted. “When you’re watching… your kid or even like a good friend, I can’t even watch it. I have to walk away sometimes.”
Welcome to the club, Doug. “Now I feel like you understand my world,” Megyn said. “I watch you play a lot of these tight, tight games, and it is very stressful. Any parent out there can relate, or spouse… to watching your loved one put it all on the line, and it could go one way or the other. You just pray to God that it works out.”
“I prayed to God, then I did deep breathing,” she recalled. “I’m like, I gotta calm down. This is a high school tennis match!“
Pure Joy
What is so rewarding about going through the emotions of the day, however, is how much everyone can take from it. Doug said Yates “is so mentally tough,” as our Yardley and Thatcher. “All three of our kids really are, so you kind of have that sense like he’s got this, he is going to do it, and then he does,” he noted.
It’s experiences like the one they had last weekend that remind you how universal those feelings of pride and passion are. “The other day when we were watching that lacrosse game, you were standing next to the couple whose son ended up scoring the last second goal to win it and they were tearing up,” Doug shared. “They are really wonderful moments, and we were so happy over the weekend watching.”
Megyn noted the student who scored was a senior playing in his final game, which went to double overtime. “I could tear up now [thinking about it],” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you are in this world, that moment can dwarf all the moments.”
With NIL deals and sponsorships changing the face of sports, Doug said such instances serve as an important reminder. “Those are the most pure moments in sports. They’re still there,” he noted. “There is so much perversion around sports with money and how you get into college and things that are screwing it all up, but it survives because sports still deliver those moments.”
Life Lessons
And then there are the lessons sports teach about life. “It is such an opportunity for growth and character development for these kids,” Megyn said. “I looked at Yates and these other boys too out there. You are alone on that court. It is just you, and all the eyes are on you… It takes such temerity for these kids to go out there and do it.”
It’s not just athletics. “I think the same when we go to the plays [for] Yardley… It doesn’t matter whether Yardley is on stage or somebody else is on stage,” Megyn continued. “As soon as that curtain goes up, I start crying because it is these young girls and young guys putting it on the line… They could fall on their faces, but they do it… and it just brings something up in me. It is a zest for life, and taking risks, and hopefully getting a huge payoff.
“That’s what I love about high school,” Doug concluded. “There are so many different things you can sort of get into a lane behind, whether it’s drama, or different sports, or even… a debate team. You get out there, you put your best self forward, and you compete.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Brunt by tuning in to episode 1,320 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.