Sports Reflections

Well the Super Bowl is now history. Living in Indiana has been kind of depressing because I feel so bad for my friends and church family who love their Colts. I even predicted the Colts would win 28 to 19. Boy did I get that one wrong! Conventional wisdom was that the Colts had too much offensive power for the Saints D. On paper that made sense. The only rub is the Saints did not follow the script. As I reflect about the Saints win I must admit to being happy for them. That does not mean I relish the pain felt by Colts fans! Guess I am trying to have it both ways. The good thing was that the 2 best teams in the NFL of 2009/10 season played in the Super Bowl. Congratulations to the Saints. To the Colts there is always next year. As a Steelers fan I am looking forward to next year!

I read an article the other day in Christianity Today that challenged my thinking about sports. The author argues that Christians have been swallowed up by the sports culture that often demonstrates the sinful side of humanity. While his argument hits the extremes and problems with sports I don't think he emphasized that there are some wonderful benefits from sports. The most bizarre example he used of how far people have gone with their love of sports came from a couple who missed their daughters wedding in order to attend the Alabama/Tennessee football game. All the father could say was he and his wife really loved Alabama football. My concern is that sports are like anything else. They can sprout into idolatry. As Christians we are to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds. Sports often replace that love. So yes the author has a point. But let's not dismiss the positive side of sports like team work, discipline, the reward for consistent effort and the joy of victory along with the character building that occurs from losing. Sports are like anything else in our culture. It depends on what we believe is most important. (Matthew 6:33)