“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
It's sport, man.
"It's sport ,man. This is what it's all about", Peter de Villiers, South African Rugby CoachThe second test between World Champions South Africa and the British and Irish Lions (June 2009)was as exciting a game as I have ever watched. Showing great depths of character, South Africa - totally outplayed in the first half and 8-19 down at one point - won the game with a penalty goal kicked from their own half in the last minute.
This was sport at its best - two teams using their God-given talents and putting in Herculean efforts. The outcome was literally in doubt until that last kick.
The problem is that Peter de Villiers was not talking - in the quote with which we started - about the great game. He was defending the action of one of his players whoput two fingers in a Lions' player's eyes as the Lion lay on the ground (gouging is the technical term).
Whether the player should have seen a red card rather than yellow and whether he should ever play international rugby again, is a debate for another place.
My purpose is to profoundly disagree with de Villiers. Raking your fingers across an opponent's eyes is not sport. It is violent thuggery which has no place in sport.
As Christians we are to be salt and light in a sinful world. We are to stand for justice. We are to play sport in a way that honours God. We are to love our neighbour as ourself. Love involves respect for the opponent as someone created in God's image. We can play hard within the rules but no cheap shots.
PS Peter de Villiers as quoted in the Sunday Times 28 June 2009. Apologies to de Villiers if he is misquoted.