My friend got excited as he looked at his phone late Friday night and said "well, the NBA lockout is over". There was no rejoicing from anyone in the room, no champagne flowed, no cigars lit. My reaction was pretty indifferent, I think I was more concerned with our game of "Catch Phrase" at that moment. And so here we are, the NBA lockout has ended. There are those who are jubilant because they will be able to watch their favorite teams and NBA stars. Chicago Tribune Sports had a poll question on Saturday about reaction to the lockout. To my surprise, nearly 75% of the responders at that point said that they could care less about the lockout ending. I honestly think for many people this lockout has left a bad taste in their mouths. It confirmed what we already knew about NBA players and owners. The latter are a bunch of greedy, control obsessed group of billionaires.(I would make one exception, Mark Cuban, he seems to be a cool dude) The former are a group of self-absorbed crybabies that have know clue what's going on.(There are also exceptions in this group) The lockout has left me wondering what I will do once Christmas Day comes.
I haven't "loved" watching basketball since June 14th, 1998(if you don't know, too bad, I'm not explaining). That was the end of one of the greatest era's in basketball. From that point on basketball was just something I watched to pass the time. The 2010-2011 NBA season was a good one, I will admit that. I did enjoy watching D. Rose and the Bulls make their playoff run. I tuned in for the games that were available to me in Michigan. I started staying up late to watch the West Coast games even though I had to get up early the next day. I was approaching an interest in basketball that I hadn't known since 1998. Even when the Bulls were eliminated, the drama of the big three down in Miami did help me to watch some of NBA Finals.
Then all that momentum got lost with the lockout. I saw billionaires and millionaires fighting over who got the biggest percentage of billions of dollars. I realize, as another blogger pointed out, that the lockout was not just about money. There was the issue of control, the owners and the league wanted more control. It was quite poetic that while the NBA lockout was drudging along, the Occupy Movement began to gain momentum. I am not here to promote or demonize the Occupy Movement. But from what I do know, one of their major rallying points has to do with corporate greed and all that goes along with that. You contrast that with the NBA lockout, two groups, millionaires and billionaires both claiming that they are not getting enough of the pie. It actually sickens me a bit. Meanwhile, because they aren't playing games, hot dog and beer vendors, and security guards aren't making money to support themselves and their families.(I don't have any hard stats on this but I could imagine some people(not players of owners) lost some income because of the lockout).
The NBA lockout reminded me of what I hate about sports in our country, the pure economics of it. People get paid way too much to play a game. People have to pay way too much to go see a game. I don't want to take anything away from the talent that these athletes have. I know they have worked hard to get where they are. I know a lot of them have come from nothing and now they can support their families. I love those stories and I love when athletes do give back to their communities. But I don't think, on the whole, they do enough.
This lockout will taint my vision of the NBA for quite some time. I don't know if I will tune in on Christmas Day. The tension I feel is that I love sports and I have since I was young. It is a huge part of my life. Probably 70% of my conversations with people are about sports. I wonder if I spent that much time talking about my faith, the bible, God, Jesus, justice, injustice, hope; would my life be different? Would I be making a bigger impact on the world? It's all about balance and putting my love for sports in it's proper place.
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
It's Just a Game
The phrase "It's Just a Game" is considered blasphemous to many sports fans around the world. To those of us who invest time, effort, money, and emotion into our favorite teams, it is certainly more than just a game to us. It is also more than just a game to those athletes who play the game. Sports is a key part of the fabric of our society. Many fellowship activities are centered on some type of sporting event. The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of these types sporting events. So, in our society sporting events are definitely more than just a game. But isn't still just a game despite all of this?
In the fall of 2005 the Chicago White Sox were on the verge of winning the World Series. As a die-hard Cubs fan this was a nightmare for me. Especially when two years prior, the Cubs were just a few outs away from making it to the World Series themselves. The devotion of a true Cubs fan can only be equaled by a few other fan bases in the country. The team, at that point, hadn't won a World Series in ninety-seven years so to have your cross-town rivals on the verge of winning was a depressing thought. The night of game four, the White Sox were up three games to none in the series. They could sweep the Astros with a win that night. I hadn't watched one game of that series and wasn't intending to watch game four. So, when my friend invited me to go to Willow Creek's Wednesday night service I was more than happy to go. I figured if there was one place I could go to escape this torment it would be church. The service was well done and I enjoyed the singing and message. As the service came to a close the worship leader said, "I'm glad you all came out and I'm sure you would like to know what the Sox are doing". They proceeded to put the game on the jumbo screens for people to watch. This enormous amount of disgust and hatred began to overwhelm me. I was so upset. The White Sox won that night and for the next couple weeks I was angry, sad, and depressed. This moment would be the beginning of a change in my feelings about sports and their place in my life. I wondered how I could get so upset about something that didn't even involve me directly. I even told a friend, who is a White Sox fan, that I hated him for his team winning. Ridiculous, right? My life, my time, my emotions were so caught up in this that I just broke down.
From that point on I made a decision to keep things in perspective, especially sports. Since then, I think I have gotten better at not letting sports have to much control over my life. I don't get as upset about losses anymore. I still despise the Packers, White Sox, Duke, Cardinals, Red Wings, Heat, and others but I am working on that as well. I think it's perfectly fine to root for your team and to want to them to win. It is a pretty cool thing to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It is wonderful to have bonds with fellow fans. There is something amazing about going to games and being part of that shared experience. Sports can bring great joy to people when they need something like that in their lives. But if your team becomes your life, if your team is your reason for living, or if they are your only joy in life then something is deeply wrong. If your day is ruined by a loss then something needs to change.
My next couple entries will be about sports and how my love for my teams interacts with my Christian faith. I have thought a lot about this topic, especially during seminary. I love my teams and will always love them. I will always root for them. I will get lost in the moment during games. But they will never have an emotional hold on me like they did in my early to mid 20's. I know now that my first and only allegiance is to Christ. I hope that allegiance will continue to mold me into a more faithful follower and a more compassionate human being.
Next stop: My thoughts on the NBA
In the fall of 2005 the Chicago White Sox were on the verge of winning the World Series. As a die-hard Cubs fan this was a nightmare for me. Especially when two years prior, the Cubs were just a few outs away from making it to the World Series themselves. The devotion of a true Cubs fan can only be equaled by a few other fan bases in the country. The team, at that point, hadn't won a World Series in ninety-seven years so to have your cross-town rivals on the verge of winning was a depressing thought. The night of game four, the White Sox were up three games to none in the series. They could sweep the Astros with a win that night. I hadn't watched one game of that series and wasn't intending to watch game four. So, when my friend invited me to go to Willow Creek's Wednesday night service I was more than happy to go. I figured if there was one place I could go to escape this torment it would be church. The service was well done and I enjoyed the singing and message. As the service came to a close the worship leader said, "I'm glad you all came out and I'm sure you would like to know what the Sox are doing". They proceeded to put the game on the jumbo screens for people to watch. This enormous amount of disgust and hatred began to overwhelm me. I was so upset. The White Sox won that night and for the next couple weeks I was angry, sad, and depressed. This moment would be the beginning of a change in my feelings about sports and their place in my life. I wondered how I could get so upset about something that didn't even involve me directly. I even told a friend, who is a White Sox fan, that I hated him for his team winning. Ridiculous, right? My life, my time, my emotions were so caught up in this that I just broke down.
From that point on I made a decision to keep things in perspective, especially sports. Since then, I think I have gotten better at not letting sports have to much control over my life. I don't get as upset about losses anymore. I still despise the Packers, White Sox, Duke, Cardinals, Red Wings, Heat, and others but I am working on that as well. I think it's perfectly fine to root for your team and to want to them to win. It is a pretty cool thing to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It is wonderful to have bonds with fellow fans. There is something amazing about going to games and being part of that shared experience. Sports can bring great joy to people when they need something like that in their lives. But if your team becomes your life, if your team is your reason for living, or if they are your only joy in life then something is deeply wrong. If your day is ruined by a loss then something needs to change.
My next couple entries will be about sports and how my love for my teams interacts with my Christian faith. I have thought a lot about this topic, especially during seminary. I love my teams and will always love them. I will always root for them. I will get lost in the moment during games. But they will never have an emotional hold on me like they did in my early to mid 20's. I know now that my first and only allegiance is to Christ. I hope that allegiance will continue to mold me into a more faithful follower and a more compassionate human being.
Next stop: My thoughts on the NBA
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