College sports are in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Team identities are being shattered. Coaches are having to fight to simply keep their team together. Fans are put into whiplash-inducing series of seasons in which they don’t know what their team is going to look like. And players are being sold a lie. The world of team sports is now all about the player.
With the dawn of Name and Image Likeness (NIL) players are now shopping around colleges to see which will give them the best money package. Forget if the coach is a solid individual, forget if the program has a reputation for building players, forget if the school is respected- if the NIL package isn’t big enough, players aren’t going there. It’s all about the player. Add to that the transfer portal, where if the player doesn’t like the coach, the player doesn’t get the playing time they think they deserve, the player doesn’t get the role they think they deserve, they’re gone- with no penalties. Coaches now not only have to recruit high school players to their programs, they have to recruit their own players simply to stick around. Fans have to learn a whole slew of new players every year (IU basketball anyone?) rather than getting to watch players grow and take on new roles each year. It’s all about the player.
This now is starting to trickle down into the high school realm, too. As of July 1 this year, high school players can transfer on a dime if they want. Don’t like your coach, your teammates, your role? Gone. It’s all about the player…
Some of us take that same approach to another aspect of our lives. We ask the question, “What’s in this for me? I’m not going to do this unless I get something from it. If I don’t see myself in this, what’s the point?” We make ourselves the center of one the most important aspects of our lives. We make ourselves the center of our faith. “But no, Mr. Loesel, I know Jesus died on the cross for my sins.” Even the demons know that, and they shudder. “But no, Mr. Loesel, I know God loves me and has a plan for my life.” Just think about that statement- it’s centered on you. Whether we realize it or not, many of us view our faith lives through the lens of “What’s in it for me?”
But let me tell you- the Bible is not about you. It’s not a book on how to live so that you can have a great life. It’s not a book about you being the damsel in distress being saved so that you can live forever. It’s not about you. It’s about God. The overarching story of the entire Bible, the entire history of the universe is about the most powerful, all knowing being that has ever existed and who He is. It’s about what He’s done and what He’s doing.
Take David vs. Goliath. We think, “David had faith so he defeated Goliath. If he can do that, so can I.” In truth, it was God stacking the deck against Himself saying, “Give me a 9 foot tall giant, a shepherd boy, and 5 stones, and I’ll show who I am.” Take the book of Leviticus. We think, “A bunch of boring, out-dated laws that have no relevance to me.” In truth, it was God showing how He could make it so a sinful people could live with Him. Take the death and resurrection of Christ. We think, “I live because He lives.” In truth, it was God taking down the enemy that was present from the beginning in the greatest turnaround the world has ever seen. These moments in the Bible (and the Bible as a whole) are not about you; they’re about Him.
I recently started listening to a podcast called The Bible Recap. These 6 minute episodes go through the Bible chronologically, a few chapters at a time, explaining what’s happening in them. At the end of each episode the host does a “God Shot”- where we see God in those chapters. No matter what the story, chapter, or genealogy is, the host shows what we learn about God from it. Not what can we take away to help our lives; not what the story tells us about ourselves; what characteristic of God we see. The Bible isn’t about you; it’s about God.
So if the Bible, the most important book that’s ever been written, is not about you, what does that then mean about your sport? Are sports their own separate world where we keep Christ out of it, focusing only on ourselves? Nope; nothing changes. If the Bible isn’t about you, then your sport isn’t either. The Bible is about Christ; so your sport is, too. Every action, word, attitude, and approach we take to our sport is about Christ. When we are the leading scorer in the game, it’s not about us- it’s about the God who gave us the skills and work ethic to be successful. When the inevitable injury strikes, it’s not about us- it’s about the God who draws near to the brokenhearted and uses our trials to make us more like Him. When fear and anxiety strike before kick-off, it’s not about us- it’s about the God who is the only place that true peace can be found. Your sport isn’t about you- it’s about Christ.
Jesus said the two greatest commandments are, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.” The natural progression of loving the Lord in your sport is loving those you compete with and against. When your teammate has a rough game, how do you look past yourself to lift them up and point them to the greater truth of life in Christ? When your opponent talks trash and plays dirty, how do you “turn the other cheek” and show them a savior who was slapped on the cheek for us? When the jersey bags, water bottles, and team supplies need to be carried to the bus, how do you see the managers who serve everyday and take a load off of their shoulders because of a savior who took the load of sin off our shoulders? Your sport isn’t about you- it’s about others.
The sports world is in desperate need of an identity change. Too many athletes are placing their hopes, dreams, and identities in an activity that will ultimately fail them. Don’t believe the lie! Sports are not about you- they’re about Christ. Taking that message into the confused world of athletics can be a light and hope that will point them to the only place that true life is found- Christ.