Note: I am finally back from General Assembly, which afforded little to no time for blogging. But I'm back now and should resume my "normal" schedule.
For the last few years there has been an irony ever growing before me in relation to professional sports. I see the reporters - grown men talking passionately, and even arguing, over how good a player is (or isn't). I see the players, after a victory or defeat, sitting at the table answering questions about their performance. I see the headlines, that a player has been offered an obscene amount of money to play for a certain team. I see the time that individuals spend to include the game in their ever busy lives. And I see the money spent every year on shoes, jerseys, tickets, pilgrimages, and pay-per-view.
All for a game. A ball. A net. And a few young people trying to put the ball in the net.
The irony begs the question, "Why?" So, here are a few of my thoughts on the issue in no particular order:
It is directly related to everyone's innate desire to observe superiority. We don't pay big bucks to watch inferior athletes. The best players draw the most money. Every fan has a deep desire to gawk at Dwight Howard's shoulders or Dirk's sweet release or Derek's quick hops. This could easily fall into the category of worship. Quote stats...you got it! Quote Scripture...uhhh...
Its directly related to everyone's desire to be united with that superiority. It's why we buy the shoes and the jerseys. We invest our time and money to carry our team's colors because we want to be connected to the team's life. And we want others to see the "sign" of our relationship. Yes, in a way, its like a sign of our covenant.
Its related to everyone's desire to be more than less than perfect. Getting lost in the game allows us to forget about ourselves; and being focused on such superiority, we, in a way, become superior to what we presently are. That's why we take it personally when our team wins or loses. That's one reason why people take offense when their favorite player is degraded. We want to be victorious and not a loser. We want to be righteousness and not sinful.
Now my thoughts on the irony...
Today's sports are superficial. Again, its a game. When kept at the level of entertainment, it retains its rightful superficiality. Sure, enjoy it. But when it becomes more than a game, people get hurt. In our day and culture it's more than a game.
Consequently it's less than truthful. Proclamation is more than vocal. With our words and actions we proclaim with a loud voice, "Behold, God!" It's simply not true. Christ is not on the court. We must repent and direct worship back to the only One worthy of it.
Beneath the surface, people are dying. Just because these men are superior athletes does not mean they are superior. How many times have we overlooked moral tragedies for the sake of athletic superiority, or even marketability? How many wives and children have been neglected, all because the masses demand that their god perform? And since when is giving a 19 year old millions of dollars (not to mention the praise of millions of people) a responsible idea? When we worship people, we crush them. I could go on, but you get the picture.
So, do we get rid of sports? I don't think so. Sports must be redeemed and used to direct people to Christ. In our efforts to behold superiority, we must behold the Christ. In our efforts to be united to superiority, we must understand our union with Christ. In our efforts to be righteous, we must understand that by faith, we are righteous in Christ. Why?
Because Christ is everything but superficial. He is the Truth who is divinely superior. And He alone brings life to all who bow before Him in worship. People watch sports because they long for God. It is our job as Christians to refrain from the idolatry while directing others to Jesus.
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