“All I know most surely about morality and obligation I owe to football”,
Reflections on sportsmanship
Recently I did a weekly email on the eye-gouging incident in the big rugby game and the comments of one of the coaches on it. Thanks for those who have dialogued with me on the subject. I want to reflect further about how we as Christians who are involved in sport or minister to sport should react to such incidents.Can those of us who play sport say that we have never been tempted to stick a finger in someone's eye - or equivalent, physically or metaphorically? Even if have not, we have probably been the victim of a cheap shot, unseen by the official. How do we deal with those situations as followers of Jesus? There is also surely the prophetic responsibility of the Christian - to speak out the Word of God and apply it to contemporary events. Remember the words of Amos. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts (Amos 5:15) and But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:24).
Those of us who are involved in the world of sport may feel like Adam in the Garden of Eden that we have been put there for a purpose. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15).
The verbs used in verse 15 are "work, take care of, cultivate". We are to have a share in God's creativity in cultivating his world. We were made to represent (or image) him in this by using of our creative gifts as an act of worship, to bring him glory. That must include speaking up when the world of sport is being damaged.
Over 30 years ago Frank Deford in Sports Illustrated berated Christians on these grounds "no one in the movement speaks out against the cheating in sport, against dirty play; no one attacks the evils of recruiting, racism or any of the many other well-known excesses and abuses". Isn't it about time we did?
I understand the concerns of the person who described my position as a "clean up sport campaign" or a plea to everyone to "play nicely" but that is not what I am saying. Other will say that all that matters is that we use sport to present the gospel - whether that is an "I love Jesus" T-shirt in the Confederations Cup Final or friendship evangelism at grass-roots level.
Of course the most important thing for any person is that they come to know Jesus but that is not the end of the story. As we seek to follow Jesus in the world of sport - or anywhere else for that matter - there are ethical issues to follow.
Our mission as Christians is to help sportspeople believe in Jesus and also to address the issues that damage sport.