(By Anwar Smith) – Are there any sports fans out there? You know that motley crew of individuals that will scream, cheer and clap for a team of men or women that you most likely have never met and that you have nothing in common with other than the fact that you enjoy watching the game they play. I am guilty of being one of those individuals; I played football in high school and college and I somehow feel a deep, internal connection to those athletes that represent my city on game days. I hesitate to say it but, I used to be one of those that would skip Sunday Service at church if that meant I could see the coin toss and the opening kick off. Don’t judge me! Football season only consists of 16 regular season games and a couple of playoff games. I will not speak of you addicted to the 82 game basketball and hockey seasons and the whopping 162 games of baseball season. Sports have become a major part of our society. We vilify some teams; we glorify others and furthermore make excuses for others (will someone please explain the Billy Goat curse placed on the Cubs). Yet no matter how we feel about our favorite teams it rarely stops us from rooting for them and choosing our hero to place above all others.
All hail the superstars of sports! We buy there jerseys because we want to show our support of them. We buy the products they endorse because somehow we believe that these athletes will only support what’s best for us. If anyone asks why athletes make so much money; it’s because we support them by buying tickets, jerseys, team salt shakers and more. We love these guys and girls; we place them on pedestals; we idolize them; we give them an almost god-like place in our culture. I asked a 9 year old kid once who would he rather be like: Lebron James or Jesus Christ. His answer, “I don’t know, how much does Jesus get paid.”
Forget the triumphal entry; I’m not riding anywhere on a donkey. Give me a long term contract, with a fat signing bonus and salary and I will ride into town in a Lamborghini or, better yet, fly into town in my private jet. Sports salaries have become unbelievable these days. Just look at what the Yankees have decided to pay its new starting pitcher CC Sabathia! This 28 year old baseball player has just signed a contract for seven years worth 161 million dollars. Each year, this athlete will make 53 times more money than the President of the United States. To bring this down to our level; if you had a really good job making $100,000 a year, it would take you 1,610 years to earn what Sabathia will earn in just 7.
Ladies and gentleman, with all that said, we must take a step back and realize that all that glitters shouldn’t be given the place of God. Money may make you rich, and it may give you a place of prominence on the sports field but it often times does not instill in these people any morals, integrity or values. Michael Vick was once one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL with a long term contract worth well over $100 million, he is now in a Federal Penitentiary and filing for bankruptcy. Plaxico Buress, with his “small” $25 million contract, recently accidentally shot himself in the leg with an illegal handgun and then later got cut by his team. Adam Pacman Jones, had a large contract and a lot of promise but he was suspended by the league because he couldn’t stay out of trouble, the latest being his involvement in a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. Finally, my hero of old, Michael Jordan, got a divorce from his wife after 17 years of marriage. Many close to the family believe that his infidelity while traveling with the Bulls was the leading factor.
We idolize these human beings because of their worth and status. We cheer for them and name our children after them. The fact is that in many cases, money and fame often does little more than put you on a platform to display to the world the “sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). Proverbs 28:6 says: “Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.” These superstar athletes are simply sinners in need of a savior just like you and I. They may run faster, jump higher and throw farther but in the end they too will stand before the Lord to take an account of what they did on this earth. Whether you’re a fan of King James, Kobe, Tiger or Danica; in light of eternity their wealth and fame will only last but a fleeting moment. You and I have something that is eternal, something that will never lose its luster and never disappoints its followers (fans). Jesus Christ is worth cheering for; He is the only one that deserves our unhindered adoration. If you want to be a part of the entourage of real a shining superstar, you need to look no further than the Son.