"It matters a great deal who is going to win, but not at all who won"

Willie John McBride, Irish Rugby player

The reason for sports

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(A Christian Fanifesto), Ted Kluck, Chicago, Moody Publishers, 2009 ISBN 978-0-8024-5836-0 154 pages

The book starts promisingly defining its purpose: “Sports. How do we worship God with this part of our lives? How do sports help us grow in sanctification? How do we think theologically about the myriad of moral dilemmas in sports?” Page 15

The problem is that I don’t think the book takes us any closer to an answer.

In chapter one “It’s hard to say I’m sorry” he discusses what he calls the “Jock apology” – how to appear to apologize without actually doing so – with loads of examples. He is very critical of Tiger Woods and what Kluck sees as Tiger’s

refusal to apologize properly.

In other chapters he looks at drugs, lack of truth, meaninglessness of sport,

alcohol, fantasy football, sports films, the sexual aspects of sport, race and the

lack of humility in sport.

A disappointing book.

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