Welcome to my new blog! I'm excited about it as it brings together my greatest love and my favourite hobby: God & sports.
I was inspired by this article written by Josh Graves (who blogs here). Sports fields around the country and world provide a crucible of intense human experiences. Athletes frequently face moral choices: steroids in baseball, match fixing in international cricket, the NFL's bounty scandal. Off the field, professional athletes also meet extreme challenges that most of us don't consider. How will they use their new found wealth and influence? How will they handle the increased availability of sex, drugs, alcohol?
The recent publicity given to prominent Christian athletes, Tim Tebow & Jeremy Lin has added another layer of interest to professional sports. I have never really viewed sports stars as life role models. I've always managed to respect athletes for their performances on the field and ignore the rest of their life. However, social media and increasing media exposure in general have removed the concept of professional athletes having private lives. Their views, comments, and behaviours are exposed for everyone's review, this includes the faith statements of sports stars.
Some athletes meet these challenges head on and come out triumphant. Others may be heroes on the field, but have lives in shambles away from the spotlight. How do people react? What differentiates athletes? The intensity of the athletic experience makes sports a valuable lens through which to comment on the broader human experience. That's the goal of this blog. Sometimes we'll just talk sports, and other times I'll reflect on a Christian response to particular situations. And sometimes, I might just talk a little God all by himself, after all, the Bible uses some sports analogies itself!
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