Man, A Little Lower than Angels (Part 3: The Sports We Watch)

(Disclaimer: I know that there are women who are sports fanatics and men who are not, so please forgive my generalization)

"Kill 'em, Tommy!"

These words came out of my mouth on October 3rd, 2013.  My brother and I went to a Washington Capitals hockey game while I was back home in Virginia for his birthday.  About midway through the first period, an opposing player laid a questionable check on a Capitals' defenseman that left him clutching his leg and pretty much done for the season.  Now, the thing about the sport of hockey is that when two opposing players have a disagreement, fisticuffs ensue, and each player typically only serves five penalty minutes (as opposed to a several game suspension in every other sport).  This particular hit sparked the ire of young 19 year old Tom Wilson, who happened to be on the ice at the time of the hit.  The Caps' 2012 1st round draft pick and 6'4" 210 lbs. power forward/man-child proceeded to skate across the ice, find the player he felt overstepped the line of a "legal body check," and beat the tar out of him as I cheered him on.


Being this enthralled in sports is not a rare thing for me.  I even say that I "detach myself from reality" while watching sports and let whatever emotion caused by the drama on the field or the rink go unbridled.  In the 2012 NHL playoffs, the Capitals and the defending champion Boston Bruins were in sudden-death overtime in Game 7, and I watched with baited breath until Capital Joel Ward scored, when I jumped up and yelled "YES! YES! YES!", with each exclamation coupled with a fist pump.  A similar situation happened at the end of the Ohio State football game against that team up north this year, when the Buckeyes' had to stop a two point conversion at the end of the game to come away with the win.  Instead of fist pumps, my burdened soul let out a sigh of relief.

So much of the culture of the typical American male revolves around sports.  So much of our time, emotions, and money go to sports entertainment.  We have bars and restaurants dedicated to sports.  We have wear sports merchandise.  We spend outrageous amounts of money to watch the game in the stadium and on cable so we can watch it at home.  The money we spend, along with advertisers who pay millions to put their logo and commercials everywhere in the stadium and the broadcast, allow these players to get paid millions upon millions of dollars.  So much of our country will be standing still during the World Cup to watch a soccer game (even in the middle of a work day). Athletes are our heroes, role models, and (dare I say) idols, as well as the our anti-heroes and enemies.  After Joel Ward, one of a few black players in the NHL, scored that series-clinching goal, Bruin fans littered the internet with racist remarks.  Bill Buckner's infamous error that cost the Red Sox the World Series in 1986 and caused him to become a recluse until the "Curse of the Bambino" was "lifted" in 2004.  Now, the typical fan may not go that far, but every fan has those teams and players they love and those that they hate.

We Christians are called to have our minds set on heavenly things, not earthly things (Col. 3:1). All the things we love and enjoy in this world need to be looked at through the lens of the Gospel, and our love of sports, being one of the most earthly things we have in our lives (seriously, we are watching people play games), needs to be evaluated.  Is it healthy for us, who are to have our minds on Christ, to let sports take up so much of our time, energy, and resources?

I thought one of my best friends was going to break down in tears when I told him that OSU fired Jim Tressel. Another friend mentioned to me that if it wasn't for a room full of strangers, he would have been much more vulgar during the USA/Portugal World Cup match. I say I love the Capitals, the Buckeyes and the Red Sox, and I hate the Penguins, Michigan, and the Yankees. I hope that LeBron James never scores another point in the NBA (and I was joyous that the Spurs dominated the Heat in the finals this year). I hope Terrelle Pryor never gets a job in the NFL for the way he left Ohio State and I'm glad he is banned from my university. I think Sydney Crosby is a little crybaby and would love to see him get laid out.  I hate the way Brad Marchand plays the game if hockey and I like to see that little twerp get beat up (plus he has a huge nose). Are these the words of a Christian? Do these feelings of love and animosity for athletes reflect the love of Christ? Do my feelings about the players on rival teams do justice to those who bear the Image of God?

I am not saying we need to cut ourselves off from the world and the world of sports. It is something that brings us together in community and the drama of the game is stupendous. But, when we let something that is supposed to merely entertain us define so much about ourselves and our lives, what does that say about us? When we are left in tears when our team loses a big game or our favorite player gets traded, what does that say about our hearts? When we curse human beings made in the Image of the Creator for beating our team or leaving our team for greener pastures, what does that say about our love for our fellowman? When we are more emotionally moved by the grand drama of sports than we are the Crucified Christ, what does that tell us about where our love lies? I still get the chills whenever I watch Ray Bourque lift the Stanley Cup in his final game as a professional hockey player, having never won it before, after the captain, Joe Sakic, gave up his right to be the first to lift of Cup so that Ray could have his moment.  How can I feel so stale toward Christ at times when hockey of all things can make me feel?

Life is hard and our world is broken, and sports do not provide guidance and healing, as Christ does. I remember when baseball resumed after the 9/11 attacks and how everyone said that the games were a great way to "get our mind off things" and "make things feel normal again." We didn't need baseball to heal. We needed to draw near to Christ and listen to His promises for love and justice. Though we are not in a time of crisis, sports still offer us an easy escape to numb the pain and stress of the real world.

This is not really a practical how-to for us Christians to watch sports for the advancement of the Kingdom.  This is more of outing a subtle idol that desires to take our minds off of the Lord.  We can so easily lose sight of what we are here for and what our calling is when we are in front of the TV for three hours with no care in the world other than the next play, which has absolutely no bearing on our lives.  What if we spent as much time praying and in the Word as we do watching SportsCenter?  What if we didn't just pick up the sports section of the newspaper and read about about broken our city is? What if we spent as much time in deep community with each other than just watching the game and shooting the breeze?

The answer is simple: Things would change, we would change.

Sports can have their place in the life of a disciple, both watching and playing (which I hope to write about soon, as well). But, it is far too easy to let them consume us and alter our very lives. No matter how much you love sports (or anything else for that matter), ask yourself this: what strikes you with awe the most? What story-line grips your heart? What stirs your soul? What brings you together with others?

Shouldn't it be the mangled Son of God, crushed for our iniquities, yet standing in victory over sin and death?