Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
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Did you know CJ Mahaney started a blog recently? Well, he did, and this weekend he had some thoughts to share about the Super Bowl before and after the big game.
His thoughts before the game:
First, let me make clear the Super Bowl is the most overrated sporting event in the history of all sports dating back to the very first Olympics. The NFL thinks so highly of itself, the Super Bowl is assigned Roman numerals.
Yet despite the hype, year after year this game rarely delivers. With few exceptions, most of these games are neither exciting nor memorable (unless your team is participating). And so tomorrow we must collectively endure yet another Super Bowl.
For me, the only good thing about the Super Bowl is that it means MARCH MADNESS is fast approaching! Don’t get me started on March Madness and college basketball, because year after year college basketball always delivers.
His thoughts on Coach Belicheck’s behavior after the game:
I stayed up after the game for one reason. I knew they would interview Belichick, and I wanted to hear what he would say. I hoped he would at least congratulate the Giants on their victory. He did not. He missed yet another opportunity to provide a compelling and humble example of how to conduct oneself when one has lost the game.
Though many will write about what took place on the field during the game, I thought his actions at the end of the game and after the game were the most disappointing aspects of the game. And this is the stuff I review and emphasize with my son as we talk about the game. This is what I want him to remember and learn from this game.
But I must pay careful attention to my heart as I critique coach Belichick, because I am vulnerable to my own more serious expression of arrogance as I observe Bill Belichick. In critiquing coach Belichick and teaching my son biblical discernment and the importance of godly character, I must avoid a self-righteous attitude.
There are few pastors /leaders that we know of who are more respected than Mahaney, so it’s been a treat to read his blog, and even more so to see that he enjoys sports.
Also, if you’re interested, that first link includes CJ’s 4 tips for watching the Super Bowl to the glory of God.
Tags: CJ Mahaney, Super Bowl
Posted in Christianity, NFL | 3 Comments »
Monday, February 4th, 2008
The following post was written for PFB by Jason Boyett, author of the Pocket Guides to the Bible, the Apocalypse, and Adulthood (among other books). Jason, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, is currently NOT working on a book titled “The Pocket Guide to Dumb Baseball Curses”. His thoughts on David Tyree’s miraculous catch and subsequent comments are after the jump.
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When Tyree made the catch — that crazy, backbreaking, hand-to-helmet miracle reception with less than a minute to go in the game — I thought it might happen.
When the Giants ended up scoring and securing the win, I absolutely KNEW it would happen.
I just knew that Tyree, a religious guy who’s had his share of personal hardship (his mom died suddenly in December), would refuse to take credit for the catch but would, instead, give all the credit to God. “That wasn’t me, man,” I imagined him saying in the post-game press conference. “That was all God. Gotta give big ups to the Almighty for that one.” Because athletes have a well-documented history of attributing great plays, great games, and great seasons to God, who apparently takes great interest in the outcomes of American sporting events.
But Tyree, to his credit, kept it subtle. He sort of leaned in the direction of “it was God,” but didn’t fully camp there. Here’s his exact quote: “My opportunities are too far and few to let that one go. It was supernatural, you know? Some things just don’t make sense, and that catch is a good example.”
Thank you, Tyree. Thank you for not resorting to a cliche. Thank you for actually taking personal credit for having made an incredible 32-yard catch to rival Dwight Clark’s “The Catch” (TM) back in 1981. Because it saved the drive. And you made the catch. You. David Tyree. No person alive — not Randy Moss, not Lynn Swann, not Spiderman — should be able to jump three feet in the air, catch a ball with one hand against the back of his helmet, then hold onto that ball while being folded in half backwards by Rodney Harrison after appearing to float parallel to the ground. It just shouldn’t happen. It doesn’t make sense. It seems a little…supernatural.
But it probably didn’t have much to do with God, so I’m glad you didn’t just come right out and say that. Because when it come to pro athletes, it’s always “God” when they make a great catch, or return a punt for a touchdown, or throw a pinpoint game-winning pass. But it’s never “God” when they get tackled on the previous play, or when they fumble in the first quarter. And what if they guy on the opposite team who caused the fumble also gives credit to God? What you end up having is God causing Himself to fumble, and at that point the theology gets so circular and weird that N.T. Wright can’t even make sense of it.
I’m all for more spirituality in the sporting world when it comes to being good examples for the children and saying no to performance-enhancing drugs and doing something with your millions of dollars other than buying blingy toys and overly big homes. But when it comes to the winning and losing of games, it’s probably better to leave God off the scoreboard.
Thanks, David Tyree, for taking a good step in that direction. May “supernatural” become the new “it was God.”
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Jason could be contributing more to PFB in the future, so if you haven’t added this site to your feedreader yet, now might be the time to do it.
Tags: God, post-game interviews, Super Bowl
Posted in Christianity, NFL | 2 Comments »
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
NPR has a 4-minute clip up of some nuns from Arizona who are “renting out rooms, offering an oasis of quiet amidst the bright lights and fast living that swirls around the big game.”
That being said, the Super Bowl kicks off in about an hour. Though the dreaded February SportsLull awaits following its conclusion, I’m excited to see how this 2007/08 NFL Season ends. I feel like we’re at the end of a great book, and our hero has confronted his nemesis for one last epic battle. To the winner: everything. To the loser: nothing. Which side is good and evil? I guess it depends on how you feel about Bill Belicheck and Eli Manning.
One thing’s for sure though, we’ll have a Super Bowl Champion in about 5 hours.
(h/t: Geof Morris)
Tags: Nuns, Super Bowl
Posted in Christianity, NFL | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 28th, 2008
We couldn’t really call ourselves a Sports/Faith blog without having one post this week with a Super Bowl prediction. Instead of waiting until the end of the week, let’s just get it overwith now.
Patriots 37, Giants 17.
(You can read my other 9 Super Bowl predictions at the tail end of this article by Matt McKhechnie, which went up on Burnside this morning.)
Post your official score prediction in the comments if you have one. The winner will receive a beating at the hands of Suge Knight.
Tags: Super Bowl
Posted in NFL | 10 Comments »
