In our last article, we considered the many positive aspects of participating in athletics and the frequent usage of athletic terminology in the New Testament to illustrate the Christian life. After examining many of these biblical texts, we might be prone to ask the logical question, “Could it be that the Apostle Paul was a sports fan?” It is certainly plausible, and many might even say “likely.”
While we rightly revere the Apostle Paul and hold him in such high esteem because of his passion for the gospel of Christ and his boldness to proclaim it, we often forget that while he was greatly used by God, he was in many ways just a regular guy, who like us, lived in a culture that glorified athletics.
Perhaps he personally knew some of the more popular athletes of his day. Perhaps he had a favorite team that he rooted for. Perhaps he even regularly attended the Olympic Games held every four years in Olympia or the Isthmian Games held every other year in Corinth. Perhaps in his early years he was even an athlete himself. Whatever the case may be, his frequent allusion to sports is unmistakable (Acts 13:25, 20:24; Romans 9:16; I Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 2:2, 5:7; Philippians 2:16, 3:14; I Timothy 1:18, 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7).
In light of Paul’s apparent penchant for athletics, he provides both an earthly and eternal perspective that is worthy of our consideration. He writes, “for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (I Timothy 4:8).
While participation in athletics has proven to be “profitable” for many Christians, it can also be unprofitable if our involvement somehow disconnects us from our primary goal, which is the pursuit of godliness.
Hence, the Potential Downside of Sports
John Gerdy, author of Sports: The All-American Addiction, gives a fair and honest appraisal when he says,
“…organized sport in America is not all bad. There are plenty of coaches and athletic programs committed to instilling positive values in participants. There are thousands of athletes who benefit greatly from athletic participation. And there is a degree of value in sports’ entertainment function. But while it is not all bad, it is clearly not what it is supposed to be. The fact is, an honest, rational argument can be made that organized sports’ overall influence within our culture has become more negative than positive, that the moral basis upon which it was built has crumbled to dust and, as a result, has left it devoid of meaning. Merely the fact that such an argument can be made should certainly give us reason to pause”.
And pause we must—especially as Christians. If we are honest, we would have to admit that there are a growing number of troubling aspects to sports that we as God’s people must be aware of and avoid. Allow me to offer just three for our consideration:
The glorification and idolization of men
While there is certainly nothing wrong with appreciating an athlete’s skill and achievement, to elevate a man or a woman to god-like status is an affront to the one and only true and living God who alone is worthy of our worship. Additionally, the personal pursuit of fame is counter-biblical and spiritually dangerous.
An unhealthy time commitment and misplaced priorities
For many today the sun rises and falls on the success of their favorite player(s) and team(s). Many spend the vast majority of their “free time” playing and watching sports at the expense of personal Bible study, prayer, church attendance, evangelism, Christian fellowship and worship. Countless marriages and families have been adversely affected by an obsessive devotion to sports as well.
Contributing factors and potential pitfalls can include video games, fantasy sports leagues, the allure of gambling, traveling teams, and the outrageous expense of sporting events and equipment. How we spend our time and our finances is a good barometer of who or what we worship.
The propagation and reinforcement of ungodly pursuits
Someone once said that “sports do not necessarily teach character—they reveal it”. For whatever reason, there often is an “anything goes” mentality associated with sports. Supposedly because “winning is everything,” some have even wrongly rationalized that Christians are exempt from acting “Christianly” during an athletic contest.
To illustrate, I think back to the words of my (supposed) Christian coach during my first junior football practice as a child. Paraphrasing, he said, “Football is not a game for sissies. It’s kill or be killed. Anything goes inside the lines of that field. We have one goal and that is to win.” Our coach then took valuable practice time to teach our team how to intimidate the opposing players by “trash talking” and how to (at the bottom of a pile of players) reach through the ear holes of the other team’s helmets and pull their hair.
If not kept in check, sinful attitudes like self-centeredness, pride, greed, anger and violence can easily surface in a competitive environment. The secular media, which has exacerbated the problem, even seems to glamorize and hype the lives of athletes and popularizes their misbehavior both on and off the field.
Many of us truly do have a deep affinity and appreciation for athletics, but as with any other activity or aspect in life, we would do well to remember the words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything…therefore glorify God in your body” (I Corinthians 6:12, 20).