As I watched the NFL playoffs this past weekend, I was reminded of the reality that in sports today the ordinary is pointed to as
extraordinary:
- When a cornerback makes a common tackle, his celebration says this normal task was worthy of special attention.
- When a receiver catches a pass, maybe even a difficult one, his celebration seems to say he should be honored as if he saved someone’s life.
This isn’t limited to football. Players in all sports have these celebrations. Some are more famous for their celebrations than their play. They obviously work on these antics, plan for when to “unleash” them, but when unveiled often seem inappropriate. The task doesn’t match the celebration.
At the heart of much of this chest pumping, in its various forms, is a boasting that says, “Look at me, I am some exceptional. I am Superman or do super-human type things!”
What is foolish about such celebrations?
The foolishness is that the player seems to think that he or she IS better than the others around him or her, as if they had done something to make themselves able to do these superior skills. The player is forgetting that the ability and even the desire to hone the ability are gifts from God. They are not the originator of the talent they display, just the steward of it.
The Biblical writer, James, speaks to this problem:
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city
and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ You are just a
vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’”
James 4:13-15
The writer is talking to men and women in business but these words could just as easily be applied to athletes who work and plan and play to win, thinking they are the ones who are at the center. The writer reminds us all – God is at the center of all our activity. We are just here for a brief moment. His will is what matters – for our daily breath and our endeavors. Unless he wills, we won’t succeed in either.
When this reality is forgotten, the result is pride and the growingly absurd celebrations that are so prevalent these days. When the reality is remembered, the result is a humility displayed by what seems like only a handful of well-known athletes today. These athletes just seem to go about the task at hand as if it is nothing special while they utilize their gifts they have been endowed with by God to do unusual physical things. Rather than draw attention to themselves, they draw attention to the others around them who make their opportunity possible, including God when it is appropriate.
In bringing this up, I am not saying there isn’t a place for celebration in sports. In fact, sports provide one of the great arenas for celebrating. I am saying there are appropriate and inappropriate celebrations.
Honestly, I find for myself repelled by the ones who are trying to grab for all the attention and drawn to the ones who aren’t. Sort of the opposite of what I imagine is the desire of each group, don’t you think?
