Several years ago I was preaching in another church and made this comment… “The god (In this city) is sports… primarily football.”
You would have thought I had set fire to the American flag or kicked a cane out from under a dear old lady as she crossed the street. The principal of the high school in that city actually called me into his office (!!) to challenge my comment (Which in and of it’s self proved my point).
This morning I found something that did two things: 1) It revealed to me my own need for perspective. And 2) It put into words some things that I believe but have never been able to articulate in just the right way. You can read it by clicking here… or find his thoughts below…
Hey there: Just wanted to clarify on my last post, about college football. I didn’t want to come off too negative or anything. I actually LOVE playing, watching, even working in sports (part-time, doing P.A. for minor and major league baseball.)
So I apologize if I came off too negative. Really, I’m just modestly suggesting a few things, and if I didn’t communicate them very well, please accept my apologies Here’s all I really meant to say:
The importance of sports is so overblown in this country, it’s sickening.
Much as I enjoy sports, I wish the collegiate-athletic complex as we know it was completely nuked. They are a monstrous distraction from the scandal of higher education: Universities are largely uninterested in pursuing “truth”, and instead, argue against the existence of it. At best, they currently function as trade schools for technical fields. The quality of undergraduate education is rapidly declining, so we’re given the “collegiate experience” — beer and circuses — to enlist loyalty. The idea of a university has been lost.
Any man who lets his team’s performance affect his attitude with friends, his mood with his family, even for a minute, needs to knock it off and grow up.
If you’re so bereft of drama in your life that you need to live-and-die with the performance of a sports team, come here and I’ll give you some drama.
A study of men’s behavior linked performance of their favorite NFL or college team to their personal self-worth. If that applies to you, think about how bizarre that is, and try to be a big boy.
Sports, for the consumer, better be fun. It’s entertainment. If you consume sports, and you can’t see it for what it is, can’t bear to have someone poke fun at it, you need to get over it.
If you have actual animosity — even an ounce, a shred — for someone who went to Michigan, because you went to Ohio State, you’re acting like a baby.
If you can’t play sports without your ego getting involved, or you throw little fits, don’t be too upset if I laugh at you. It’s hard to suppress sometimes.
If you’ve let society so affect you that you are even slightly disappointed with your child because of he’s not a great athlete, somebody ought to hit you with an accordion, because that’s pathetic, and it’s your problem, not your boy’s. Get over yourself.
So that’s all I meant. I hope that clears up any misunderstandings! If I came across too negative in that previous post, again, my apologies.
My Final Comments (Ron): I don’t know what prompted this guy to write what he wrote. But it did make me at least stop and ponder for a few moments…