In this post I want to talk about what it means to win or lose as a Christian. In our culture, and specifically in our sports culture, everything rests on winning and losing. We define our success on whether or not we win games. Coaches can lose their jobs if they don't bring home a certain number of Ws each year. If my job rested on winning and losing, then my priorities would change a little too. But is this what God is calling us to do? Certainly winning is more fun and should be one of our goals; but aren't there other goals that we should be focused on as Christians in sports?
My dad is a varsity women's basketball coach and he has proposed an interesting scenario. Its the final seconds of the game. Our team is up by one point and the other team has the ball. The point guard drives down the middle of the lane and puts up a shot at the buzzer and misses. But wait...there is a shooting foul called against our team, which puts the other teams point guard at the free throw line for two shots with no time left on the clock. What is our response as Christians? Do we pray to God that this person misses the free throws? Or, do we simply step back and hope that this player in this high pressure situation doesn't crumble?
If we are motivated only by receiving the W in the win column, then yeah. Let's go ahead and pray that God makes him miss those shots. But what about that player at the free throw line? He/she has then ability to win and lose the game all by themselves. If they miss, then they will feel the criticism from their team and school for a while. If they make it, then they are a hero among their teammates while our team has to deal with defeat. My concerns are more for the individual on the foul line. I wouldn't openly cheer for him, but I don't ever wish, or pray for failure upon anyone.
Lastly, I want to talk about how we should win and how we should lose. All of us have won games, and all of us have lost games. Every athlete has to deal with failure at some point. How we deal with that failure reflects our character. We need to be able to lose well. Making excuses about the referees and specific situations is not a good way to lose. Jim Harbaugh has given us a good example of losing poorly in this years Super Bowl as he jumps up and down the side-line signaling for holding. We could probably talk about the call itself for a while, but the result will still be the same at the end. When our only desire becomes winning the game, then we are more likely to complain and make excuses when we lose. If we are concerned with doing our best and playing our hardest, then we are much less likely to make excuses when things don't work out the way we want them to. I'm not saying that we shouldn't complain about bad calls every once and a while (I am still a little irritated about Galaraga's "perfect game" that was blown on a bad call with two outs in the bottom of the ninth). What I am saying is that we need to take responsibility for our losses and try not to let it happen again. The 49ers didn't deserve to win that game, but I would have so much more respect for them as an up-and-coming young team in the NFL if their coach and fans would just stop complaining. Those players don't deserve to have people dislike their team just because Jim Harbaugh is a bit of a jerk. We must remember that how we handle losses and wins reflects on the teams that we play on and cheer for.
Winning well is also important. When our teams win we should never rub it in the face of our opponent or a opposing fan. When we do that it reflects the reputation of our team and our faith. We shouldn't rub our salvation in other people's faces, so why should we rub in a simple rivalry win? The end result is never good. If you dish it, get ready for it to come right back around next year. Part of that is just plain fun, but as Christians I think that we are better than that. If we start arguing about sports more than living into the kingdom of God, then we have a real problem. If that rival team and their fans become our primary enemies, then you have already lost against sin. And that is the "game" that counts. If we start hating our sports rivals, even though they are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, then what have we become?
Winning well is also important. When our teams win we should never rub it in the face of our opponent or a opposing fan. When we do that it reflects the reputation of our team and our faith. We shouldn't rub our salvation in other people's faces, so why should we rub in a simple rivalry win? The end result is never good. If you dish it, get ready for it to come right back around next year. Part of that is just plain fun, but as Christians I think that we are better than that. If we start arguing about sports more than living into the kingdom of God, then we have a real problem. If that rival team and their fans become our primary enemies, then you have already lost against sin. And that is the "game" that counts. If we start hating our sports rivals, even though they are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, then what have we become?
