While many players, coaches, and fans have football in the right place in their hearts, many don’t. 
As the football seasons gets into full swing in both the professional, collegiate, and high school ranks, wondering which of those two groups you fall into is a valid concern for any serious follower of Jesus Christ. After all, if idolatry is taking any good thing -like football- and making it an ultimate thing, then certainly we should be concerned with this possibility.
And American football is something good. It was my favorite game as a kid, and I played lots of them. I started playing football when I was 8 years old, holding on to the dream of being an NFL quarterback well into my teens. When reality hit and I quit playing, focusing more on the “manlier” sport of golf, I stayed a fan. After college I added SEC football to my following of the NFL.
While that can be fun, it can also be dangerous. Kevin DeYoung puts it this way, “Where there is a consuming passion for anything that is not God, there is the danger of idolatry.” He goes on to suggest three questions to help self-diagnose that idolatry –
- Is ministry and worship on the Lord’s Day compromised by my allegiance to football on Saturday and Sunday?
- Are my emotions all out of whack?
- Can my conversation go deeper than football?
(For the full text of this post, click here.)
If these questions got your attention, maybe God is trying to reveal something here. For further diagnosis, check out the following CSO posts:
How do you know when sports are an idol? Part 1
How do you know when sports are an idol? Part 2
How do you know when sports are an idol? Part 3
How do you know when sports are an idol? Part 4
After all, the greater the good something possesses, the greater the potential for idolatry.
