"The only thing I shall talk about is my sporting achievements at school. My primary sporting achievement at school was that I dodged games for two complete years and was well through the third year before they discovered that I had completely avoided all games"

John Hume humorously downplays his school sporting achievements by recounting not triumphs on the playing field but his success in evading physical education altogether. Rather than boasting of medals or victories, he slyly presents his ability to dodge mandatory games as a significant achievement, suggesting a mischievous wit and an ability to subvert expectations or rules. Through his words, sport becomes not a battlefield of athletic prowess, but of creativity, cunning, and quiet rebellion against the school system.

His account reflects both individual resistance and commentary on the school environment. Avoiding games for two whole years would require careful planning and perhaps a keen sense of timing, indicating resourcefulness. Additionally, his joke about being "well through the third year" before detection implies a degree of pride in his accomplishment, as though eluding discovery has itself been a competitive pursuit. The revelation that he was only found out after so long adds to the humor and suggests a certain ineffectiveness or inattentiveness on the part of school authorities.

On a deeper level, Hume’s tongue-in-cheek confession could also hint at broader ideas about conformity, authority, and personal agency. Rather than following the expected path and excelling within the given framework, he chooses a path outside of it and finds in that choice a source of personal satisfaction. His sporting achievement is defined on his own terms, subtly challenging societal norms regarding what accomplishments are valued.

Furthermore, this anecdote endears Hume to readers, presenting him as self-deprecating, relatable, and aware of the absurdity in bureaucratic systems. By foregrounding his lack of participation rather than any sporting excellence, he creates an image of humility and irony, inviting us to reconsider the nature of achievement and the many ways in which people navigate institutional expectations.