Grantland Rice was a sportswriter during the Great Depression.

The Great Competitor
Grantland Rice

Beyond the winning and the goal,
Beyond the glory or the fame,
He finds a flame within his soul,
Born of the spirit of the game.

And where the barriers may wait,
Built up by the opposing gods,
He finds a thrill in bucking fate,
And riding down the endless odds.

Where others wither in the fire,
Or fall below some raw mishap,
Where others lag behind and tire,
And break beneath the handicap,

He finds a new and deeper thrill,
To take him on the uphill spin,
Because the test is greater still,
And something he can revel in.