I wrote several posts in February offering the reasons why sports are good. I end this series by offering a warning, however: while sports may be good, they most certainly are not God.
For starters, sports will not satisfy. Not the way God does. I have finished seasons with winning records and losing records as a coach; I have never ended a season satisfied with the number of wins achieved. Nor have I ever met a coach who has. Undefeated or winless, all teams, all coaches, all players have problems. Winning will not fill the emptiness inside of all of us.
I remember when the Phillies finally won the World Series in 2008. As a longtime Phillies fan who had never been alive for a World Series victory of theirs, I remember eagerly anticipating the crowning moment. I watched nearly every pitch of that post season, just waiting to jump off my couch in the emphatic triumph of knowing I picked the right group of people I didn't know and with whom I have no connection to cheer for in a game of baseball. The night they won it, despite being bed-ridden with the flu, I did jump up and pump my fists, letting the victory wash over me. Somehow, though, the next day I had the same problems, the same frustrations, the same sin as the day before. Nobody treated me differently because I cheered for a World Series champion.
I remember when my beloved Panthers overcame Kansas in the NCAA basketball tournament. My mid-major alma mater was the talk of the sports world for a week, having knocked off the Goliath of the tournament. I was euphoric. Four nights later I watched them lose in the Sweet Sixteen and was in the depths of hell. Despite all evidence to the contrary, that Panther victory did not save my soul.
Sports will let you down. Sports will let you down primarily because sports are played by, watched, coached, and officiated by fallen humanity. People will let you down. They will screw you over when you thought they could be trusted. They will lie and cheat. Undeserving jerks will win. Good guys will lose; and when they do win, they'll become jerks. At best, you can pour your heart and soul into overcoming the odds, work tirelessly, and come out on top, only to wake up the next day and realize the world has moved on. At worst, sports will rip your heart out and waltz on what's left.
Everything that I can think of that is wrong with sports comes from trying to make sports into an idol. Where sports goes wrong is when we try to make them God. They are not all-satisfying. Sports cannot bring me the joy that Christ can. Or the love. Or the adventure. Sports are good for so many reasons. But they are a side dish, and we are called to the feast. Snacks are good. But they pale in comparison to the main course.
Enjoy sports. Love God.
Note: This will be the final post in this series. It's been instrumental for me to clearly define what sports can be in my life, especially as I seek to be purposeful about my involvement in them. Hopefully you've found something useful as well. If you want to revisit any of the posts, I've linked them below:
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