Our Spurs group ( the fives are for championship rings)
It’s so easy to get obsessed with a sport; a team; a player. Not in some psycho way—you just think about them a lot. You become emotionally invested in them. And then you share your passion with people who feel exactly the way you do. What fun! As long as you can keep it like that…
Even just watching on TV, I can see the exuberance and the intensity and the joy that spectators bring to the games they attend. Painted faces (sometimes bodies!), high fives, pounding on bleachers, synchronized screaming, jumbotron feedback—it looks like tremendous fun (except when a play goes wrong). Ultimately, fun should lead to thankfulness. God also enjoys it.
Fun can lead to different places too—many of them not so spiritually rewarding. Excess is a very close relative of fun. And excess always leads to putting yourself ahead of others. And selfish never ends well.
Yikes! How gloomy on a subject that evokes so much joy! Like participating, spectating can be a family unifier. I’m a sucker for the commercial where the whole family is wearing one team’s jerseys, and the new boyfriend comes in wearing the archrival’s. I watched the Saints win their Super Bowl in New Orleans—one of the best times I can remember. I understand why cities are willing to build stadiums and give teams tax breaks. A team in the midst of a championship run gives the entire city an upbeat vibe. And teams recognize how good community involvement is for their business—lots of charitable things get done. On the artistic level, a great move in sports is every bit as uplifting as a great song or show or book. Most of all, there is the inexpressible joy of winning—no wonder it arouses such passion!
My son and four of his/our friends are in a Spurs text group that they graciously allow this old man to join in. It makes watching a Spurs game so much more fun—the shared excitement—the backseat coaching—the absurd humor—the friendship and even the pain. They still haven’t forgiven me for texting “We got this!” before Ray Allen made his crushing three-pointer.
I must also confess another guilty pleasure: fantasy sports. I have been in football and basketball leagues for the past 15 years or so. It just ups the interest level. Yes, it is a form of gambling, and I struggle with that. In all this time, I certainly haven’t made a profit, but I haven’t really lost that much either. Again, there’s a camaraderie that goes along with it that is very enjoyable.
Most of us recognize there is a dark side of spectating. As with any obsession, it’s pretty easy to go over the edge and hard to admit when you have. We tend to idolize our sports heroes—who probably deserve it no more or less than our neighbor or a random person off the street…at least, in terms of character. Indulging your sports habit can easily lead to a great deal of expense—easy to jump in whether you can afford it or not. As cavalierly as I dismiss my fantasy leagues, sports gambling has led to the wreck and ruin of many families. And most wives will tell you that your obsession with your team can also lead to family neglect.
So I have come up with a helpful little questionnaire to help you determine if your sports fixation is healthy or not. Answer honestly: 1) Do you care about this more than anything else? 2) Does this bring you closer or farther away from your family? 3) How much of a financial strain does it create? 4) Does your mood change when you team loses? Does it affect those you love? 5) Can you say during the contest: “Thy will be done”?
When the sport (whatever your fandom) is deterring you from becoming the person that you want to be, that is idolatry. If the ‘49’ers loss tonight affected your perspective of the world, your overall mood (not immediate), your treatment of your family, your financial status or your self-esteem, you have gone over that edge.
Just pull back. Go for a walk. Breathe in, breathe out. I used to presuppose God’s involvement in the outcome of the big game. You know, the Spurs are a classy organization, upright men, they deserve to win. Now I appreciate more the ramifications of the game—the countless ways the outcome will affect countless lives in countless directions. Only God can handle all that. I believe He loves the spectacle—and grieves for the heartache.
Way to go, Chiefs!
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