Rome burns football idolatry

You've probably seen the commercials of the guys who have "never missed a super bowl."  If not, check it out here:  Bob, Tom, Larry, & Don.  Sports commentator Jim Rome surprisingly takes them to the shed in his typical cut-to-the-chase style.   Check it out:



For the record, I need to hear Rome's rebuke as much as these guys do.   As one who has allowed his weekend to be ruined by what a bunch of 20 year olds do on the grid iron, I need to be reminded of what is truly important as well. 

Sometimes, you should just call it quits....

Get your game face on, but don't waste your sports

Game day.   God.  Do they have anything to do with one another?  

I love sports.  I can't imagine the world without sports.  I'm so thankful that God has created us a culture builders, and one of the ways in which we build culture is by sports.   Granted, as with anything in creation, we can twist it for our own selfish ends, worship it giving it too much significance, and we can use it to abuse others.   


But, sports is inherently a good thing because it's part of created life.   From the grace of a "Hail Mary" pass caught in perfect stride, to the complex performance of a high platform diver, to the strength and elegance of a race horse, sports is at once a highlight of humanity's abilities and potentials, and an excuse to give God glory.  Eric Liddell, the Scottish Olympic runner immortalized in Chariots of Fire, knew this well when he said, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."


Is it possible to "feel God's pleasure" while enjoying sports?  I believe the answer is not simply "yes," but a resounding "YES!"  

Christianity addresses all areas of life, including our sports lives.   

Below is a list of resources--books, videos, articles--that are helpful in thinking through sports to the glory of God. 


*  Don't Waste Your Sports, by CJ Mahaney (book | website)
*  Game Day for the Glory of God, by Stephen Altrogge (amazon | google | article)
*  The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto, by Ted Kluck (amazon)

*  A Theology of Sports, by James Spiegel

•  Part One 
•  Part Two 
•  Part Three 
•  Part Four
  

Video:
CJ Mahaney's "Thanking God for Sports"


CJ Mahaney's, "Don't Waste Your Sports"

Don't Waste Your Sports from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Stephen Altrogge: Victory (1:23)


Stephen Altrogge: Defeat (1:43)


Stephen Altrogge: Sidelines (0:50)


Get your game face on, but don't waste your sports.

Sports & Existential Despair

The folks over at the Onion have outdone themselves on this one.   Pretty funny.  And yes, it will show up in an illustration for a sermon or a seminar.  You can count on it.



[HT: Sean McDowell]

March Madness

Okay, this is how it's going down...

Jason's picks:  ...click to enlarge

Jason's Elite Eight

Kentucky, Marquette, Texas A&M (whoop!), Villanova, Kansas, Georgetown, Syracuse, & Kansas St.

Jason's Final Four:

Kansas, Kansas State, Villanova, Kentucky

Jason's Championship Game:

Kansas vs. Kentucky

Jason's National Champion:  

Kentucky!

My picks:   click to enlarge

My Elite Eight:

Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke, Baylor, Kansas, Georgetown, Syracuse, & K-State

My Final Four:

Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke

My Championship Game:

Kansas vs. Duke

My National Champion:

Kansas

Let the games begin!!!

Dunk of the Year (or possibly the decade, or the century)...

[HT: Z]

World's Longest Basketball Shot

Don't know if it's legit, but it looks pretty cool.

"If 19-year-old boys are ruining your day because of what they do with a ball, that's a problem."

JT linked to an interview with Matt Chandler of The Village. He asks two questions:

* What stirs your affections for Jesus Christ?

* And what robs you of those affections?

So far, so good. Then he gets to meddling, as they say.

Sanctification here at The Village begins by answering two questions. What stirs your affections for Jesus Christ? And what robs you of those affections? Many of the things that stifle growth are morally neutral. They're not bad things. Facebook is not bad. Television and movies are not bad. I enjoy TV, but it doesn't take long for me to begin to find humorous on TV what the Lord finds heartbreaking.

The same goes for following sports. It's not wrong, but if I start watching sports, I begin to care too much. I get stupid. If 19-year-old boys are ruining your day because of what they do with a ball, that's a problem. These things rob my affections for Christ. I want to fill my life with things that stir my affections for him. . . .

We want our people to think beyond simply what's right and wrong. We want them to fill their lives with things that stir their affections for Jesus Christ and, as best as they can, to walk away from things that rob those affections—even when they're not immoral.

Great words to remember. I have a few thoughts.

I love sports. I used to love them too much. I, along with any number of sports fanatics, would have my day--no, my week--ruined by a game. I had too much invested there. Thankfully, I've made some progress in this. My wife seems to think this is why the Aggies have stunk for so long, b/c God was dealing with my idol. If that's the case, sorry Ags. He has been messing with yours too!

Secondly, while fully agreeing that there are times when we simply need to "walk away" from those things that ruin our affections for Christ, we still need to work through them. For example, food can function this way. But we can't go cold turkey on food!

What we need to do is learn to use the gift of food for God's glory. Same thing with alcohol, sex, influence, tv, investing, shopping, parks, facebook, etc. No, I'm not saying everyone has to use each and every gift from God. But sometimes, I fear the impression is given that the answer to our struggles is simply to 'walk away' from 'the things of the world' instead of learning to engage them correctly.

The Christian life is then viewed merely as a strategy of keeping the corrupting influence of the world far away, rather than dealing with the corruption within my own heart that takes the good gifts of God and perverts them for my own selfish reasons. In other words, it's a problem when the problem is viewed 'out there' and not within the core of my being. If it is out there, I can manage the issue. If it's "in here", then I desperately need Christ.

The worst examples of this are people who say sports, drink, tv, etc., always ruin appetite for Christ. Therefore it is always wrong for everyone to participate in these activities. The word for this is legalism. [Disclaimer: No, I'm not saying this is what Chandler is saying.]

So how should a Christian view sports? Should s/he have nothing to do with it? I think that part of the solution is to bring our thinking under the lordship of Christ. Or another way to put it is, How should we think Christianly about sports? Is it possible that sports can actually increase my appetite for Christ? I believe so.

To that end, here's a good book that I would recommend as well: Game Day for the Glory of God: A Guide for Athletes, Fans, & Wannabes.

Says the author, a self avowed Christian who 'absolutely loves sports,'

"DO I ever thank god for the incredible amount of pleasure that I receive from sports...? Let us resolve from this point forward that we will not enjoy the gift of sports without giving thanks and honor to the Giver himself. Let us recognize that sports are indeed gifts from a generous God to undeserving sinners, and let our enjoyment of sports be marked by thankful hearts."

Simply put, yes, we can enjoy sports as a gift from God, but like any of His gifts, we value the gift over the Giver of the gift. That's where the trouble begins, and what I think Chandler is talking about.

This new one looks good too, though I haven't read it yet: The Reason for Sports: A Christian Fanifesto.

Here's a link to the whole Chandler interview.

Game Day at Kyle Field

I took the kids out to the Maroon & White game after all the severe weather passed through Aggieland. Here's a pic of the kids with the new yell leaders.


My thoughts...

1) That was the most boring Maroon & White game ever. First of all, it wasn't even a game. A 'scrimmage' would be a stretch. The coaches came up with some sort of convoluted scoring system that no fan could understand or keep up with. Why not put real points on the board instead of awarding points for 'pressure on the QB' or 'a play that gained more than 5 yards.' With this system, there were 2 teams: offense & defense. Final score: 115-101. I should mention this was the M&W football game, not basketball. I know, I know, this is to aid the coaches' evaluation, but from a fan's perspective, it was a complete dud. Didn't look like the players were all that into it either.

2) In my opinion, the QB ranking should be Wood, Dorman, then Johnson. Especially for the first half. Jeff Fuller made some great catches that (in the second half) helped Johnson look much better than he played [and I'm a fan of Johnson]. There was something like 4 interceptions by halftime.

3) Jeff Fuller is a stud making some outstanding catches (he is today's highlight reel) & Cyrus Gray had a few good runs including one 22 yard TD.

4) Good news: Aggies won. Bad news: Aggies lost.

5) Final thought: it's going to be a long season. Nothing inspiring to make us think that this year will be any different than the last few (please, Ags, prove me wrong, I'm begging you). The defense did look good, but the offensive line still can't block (which *might* account for why Johnson didn't look all that great--it's hard to when you are running for your life as soon as the ball is snapped).

Other final thought: for crying out loud, Sherman, make the M&W game resemble some sort of a game, or else you will have 3 fans out for the next M&W game.

Okay, I feel better now.

Attn: College Football Fans

Here is an attempt by one writer to suggest that b/c the Arizona Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl via a playoff system, that's proof positive why the NCAA should not have one.

Each year, when fans, broadcasters and columnists engage in their annual hand-wringing over the lack of a college football playoff, the lords of the BCS defend their divisive system by noting a playoff would deflate the sport's uniquely gripping regular season. Playoff proponents never want to hear it.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present the living embodiment of a devalued regular season: The Arizona Cardinals.

You can read his full argument here.

Basically, he argument boils down to the fact that the BCS system keeps mediocre teams out.

Where's the flaw in his argument?

Basically, his argument would have merit if 16-0 mediocre teams made it to the Super Bowl. With the NFL system, you never have undefeated teams who don't make it to the final game. Almost every year in the NCAA, you do. Just ask Utah who went undefeated and who soundly beat former #1 Alabama who when they played Florida (who went on to win the National Championship), led them for most of the game until the end.

'Nuff said. The college football playoff system is the only logical option.

That's one thing I agree with the President on. That and we both love Macs.

ESPN Prestige Rankings

Here's an interesting article. ESPN has ranked the top 5 teams in NCAA football based on the following:

ESPN's Prestige Rankings are a numerical method of ranking the best FBS college football programs since the 1936 season. Point values were assigned for certain successes (win a national title, earn 25 points) and failures (get your program banned from the postseason, lose two points). The research department ran all the numbers through the computer to come up with the No. 1 program (and Nos. 2 to 119) of the past 73 seasons.

Here's their assesment:

#1: The Oklahoma Sooners
#2: Southern Cal Trojans
#3: Ohio State Buckeyes
#4: The Irish of Notre Dame
#5: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Why the Utah Utes are the National Champions

Okay, I'm trying to get life back together after our trip to Qatar and subsequent sicknesses upon returning home, but since I was off (slightly!) on my National Championship prediction, here is a persuasive article on why the Utes from Utah should be the reigning National Champs. So, yeah.

I Knew It...

Well, dang it. I was just about to praise Obama for having the good sense to see that a play-off system for college football is 'the right thing to do,' and not two minutes later I come across the president-elect's photo with the arch-enemy: the t-sips of texas university.


And I was trying hard to like Mac Brown 'cuz generally he's a class act. But, ah....

Saw 'em off!

Get Your Game Face On!!!

The Art of Manliness has compiled a list of eight great locker room speeches from film and real life. These should get the blood pumping! Get your game face on!!!

Gig'em Aggies!

I love Aggieland during football season!!!

New Sports Book, Contest, & My Sure-to-be Winning Entry

Filed under: "You've Gotta Check This Out"
-----
Over at Between Two Worlds, Justin Taylor has a post about a new book coming out by Stephen Altrogge called, "Game Day for the Glory of God: A Guide for Athletes, Fans, and Wannabes." Looks like a great read. I hope its released by kickoff of the college football season!!!.

Altrogge is sponsoring a "Greatest Moments in Sports History" and is giving away copies of his book to the top ten entries. Simple: find your favorite sports clip on youtube and send it to him. If he uses the clip in his compilation of the 10 Ten Greatest Moments, you'll receive a free copy of his book! Check out JT's blog for contest entry details.

I already know what my entry will be....Team Hoyt.

This is a story about a father-son team, and it'll pretty much bring you to tears. Rick is handicapped due to being born with an umbilical cord around his neck. When he was 11, Rick saw a race and told his dad that he wanted to do that. His father began taking him out on runs, and Rick told him, "Dad,when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!" And Dick wanted to give him that liberty.

Rick has pushed his son in 26.2 mile marathons--85 times. Eight more times they entered triathlons where Dick pulled his son 2.4 miles on a dingy while swimming and pushed him 112 miles on a bike.

His is the video. Hang on.



Want more?



Here's the news story about the story by Rick Reilly that originally appeared in Sports Illustrated giving more details.

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;" Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an Institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want To do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore For two weeks."

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," One doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago." So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

Now there are some amazing stories out there, but honestly, is there one better?

Top 25 Sports Programs

Filed under: "I Never Thought about it from that Perspective"
-----

This will interest you sports fans out there. SI.com has devised a scoring system to rank the top 25 division 1 sports programs in the nation over the last two years.

Arizona State tops the list.

My beloved Texas A&M University finished at #11 ahead of t.u. (which came in at #15, ahem. And that's with A&M having a dang sorry football team. It probably didn't help t.u. that A&M's dang sorry football team beat them the last two years in a row! Whoop!).

Biggest surprise for me is that OU was named in the best of the rest.

45 Days & Counting...

Go ahead, admit it...

...you're getting pumped!

And just in case you were wondering, KansasCity.com reports on Big 12 Coaching salaries...

I wonder which of these schools think they are getting their money's worth...?

Based on my prowess at Gamecube's 2004 College Football, my boys are convinced that I should be the head coach for Texas A&M. I told them that I would even do it for half the amount that they are paying the new coach, to which Justin immediately replied, "Don't take less if they are willing to pay more! I'll take it if you don't want it."