This was generated as I tossed and turned in bed last night. Anyhow, as I was trying to fall asleep I noticed my stress level was pretty high. What caused it? Watching my team lose again. We are 4 and 12 the last two weeks and have played almost well enough to win half the losses. And taking stock of my situation I found my mind wandering and wondering.
I recalled a sermon by St. John Chrysostom on attending the games (and other entertainment) in the ancient Rome of his day. He preached a pretty sharp attack on this practice. I cannot recall every detail, but the general tenor made me rethink going to movies and sporting events. Then I thought of the various times I had gotten my stomach in knots over games...
I think, in general, the early church leaders were pretty strict on this sort of thing. Throughout Christian history I believe there has always been some preachers and some denominations which were pretty tight about such things. I also know that if the preachers were preaching against it then the folks must have been doing it. So in the early church there was a tension. The general consensus among people I know could be summed up with the word "just-chill." As a natural born worrier, chilling is not my specialty nor my first option. I am reflexively unchilled! But I also think life is to be lived and it can be so overwhelming to constantly think about "everything" and endlessly ponder what is a "sin." Sometimes I just want to love my God, love my family, love my church and watch some baseball. The question is, is the Lord fine with that?
The billions of dollars tied up in sports is probably not a healthy sign of the state of our society. And I am not railing against salaries, they are a function of an economy of scale. When ticket prices drive salaries they are much lower than when TV revenue gets factored in. I live in Memphis. My team is Chicago, which I watch on WGN. As do people all over the country. If you get a dime from one million people you have $100,000. (and they get more than 10 pennies per head!) No, my concern is the focus. I know all manner of baseball statistics. I probably know more about the 1968 pennant race than I do about parts of the Bible. Some of that is because I lived through it. And I do sincerely wonder if studying the Bible, day and night, without any knowledge of anything else is really God's desire. But there are times when I do wonder, how much of my life has been wasted as a fan.
Fan, of course, is short for fanatic. Even so, I think the diminutive has changed meaning. Now it means something more calm, more a supporter or a person with a rooting interest than an unhinged individual who is out of control. I hope God is okay with some of this. Lord, if you aren't I am in trouble. And there is some joy in just relaxing and cheering on the team. And there is much to learn about hard work, success and failure, commitment and luck from sports. I also know, sometimes, that knot in my belly cannot be a good thing.
In the end, there is much to wonder about life. I think we all know it is a mystery. God is the judge. We do well to think seriously about how best to respond to His call. We probably live in a warped culture. That has (mis)shaped and (de)formed us. On the other hand, since Adam and Eve and the Fall, what is not warped? St. Benedict comes to mind: In all things, moderation. A balanced life. Except when loving, that should be unhinged and unmeasured, bold and unlimited!
Hilarious..and thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteSo,
Why do sports invoke more emotion than other life experiences, in general?
Why are we so intent on winning? Or have such a passionate stake in someone else's success?
Theory:
God's a winner, He created athletes in His own image. Without defeat we wouldn't appreciate the wins. Yes, there is hero worship, but put in the proper context, maybe what society deems as "hero worship" is really just a raw, deep appreciation of God's brilliance. We just allow the media and a select group of "experts" define and subconsciously (or at the soul level) warp the vast range of emotions we experience as a fan. Think about it: what else but sports provides, within an hour, elation, sadness, frustration, euphoria, disappointment, etc. in such an erratic fashion? No offense, but going to mass doesn't provide the same ride. Maybe through athletes/sports we see the Holy Spirit in action and letting loose. I'd like to think that even the Holy Trinity enjoys a lazy day at the baseball field. That image makes me smile.