What do sports tell us about ourselves? Would we be as interested if the games we play ended without a winner, or without records of comparative accomplishment?
There must be something about everything from board and card games to individual and team sports that awakens something in us that was created by God.
But what are those capacities? Why competition? Could there be any counterpart in the life to come? Or is this all about our fallen nature and need to win at the expense of others?
The Apostle Paul alluded to the Isthmian Games that were an ancient counterpart to our modern Olympic Games (1Cor 9:24-27). Was trying to remember whether Jesus made any reference to sport but could only think of his statement, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul (Matt 16:26)– which am guessing is a stretch.
I’m hoping to see how Michigan State does against Penn State this afternoon. But why? Is it just to be part of the conversation? Is it home-state pride? An answer to boredom? Self-indulgence? A needed change of pace? Am guessing, depending on the situation, it could be any of these, none of the above, and more…
PS—At this point I’ll punt to our Sport Chaplain, Bill Crowder, who together with some of our co-workers produce each week an hour-long Sports Spectrum radio program. With the help of their guests, they look at the way the issues of our lives show up in the games we play or watch. You can find some of their inspiring stories and good conversation at sport.org.
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