Sports - the Evil Empire?

Baseball – it’s America’s pastime for more reasons than merely being a game many of us enjoy. Looking through our history, baseball has been part of the rebuilding process after many disasters, from the Great Depression of the 1930s to the aftermath of 9/11. As a fan of both baseball and history, I love how baseball has been interwoven into our culture at a deeper level than other sports I enjoy, but am not as deeply connected to as an American.

As such, I can see a stark contrast to baseball and our current economic crisis we are in. A few days ago, the Detroit Tigers – home of one of the most economically destroyed cities in the United States – reached out and signed a player for 214 million dollars, and an average of $23 million per year.

LZ Granderson, a Detroit Tigers fan who also is a senior writer at ESPN, writes a phenomenal article on this disconnect here. Yes, cities aren’t responsible for the salaries of baseball players. However, the fact that Detroit’s baseball team can pay a player more than any one police district in the city is a testament to the insanity we Americans have for our favorite sports teams. How is it that our priorities are such that the success of a city’s baseball team is more important to us than the success of our school districts and safety of our streets? Yes, we don't pay the salaries of athletes. At least, not directly. Every time we shell out $50 for a ticket however, or $6 for a hot dog at the game, $160 for a jersey, or buy the sports package on TV, we are fueling the rising salaries of players and lining the pockets of the already rich owners. We are, in fact, paying these ridiculously wealthy people with our obsession with games we would all love to play for free.

I have a confession to make: I’m a huge sports fan, and a fan of the New York Yankees (aka the “Evil Empire”) at that. However, when people complain about how much the Yankees spend, they always compare it to how much other baseball teams spend. Shouldn’t we instead be complaining about how we as a population prioritize sports to the point that baseball players and actors are worth much more than the quality of education that our students get? I'm not saying we should boycott sports or that enjoying professional athletics is wrong (there is no way on earth I myself could stop!), but perhaps some moderation in necessary.

John F. Kennedy once said,

"children are the world’s most valuable resource."

Perhaps it’s time that we begin taking heed of that remark and stop feeding the economic insanity that has become the world of sports and begin to feed our education system. The future of our nation and our world is more important than the Super Bowl, World Series, or even the World Cup.

MLK, a 10 Year Old Girl, and the Perfect Role Model

MLK

“But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force… Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.”

If you, like me, didn’t recognize these words upon first glance, it may be because these words are overshadowed by the more famous words,

“I have a dream.”

I’m a bit ashamed to say that I hadn’t read his speech in its entirety before this week, and if you haven’t as well you can find it here. It is (obviously) a deeply moving piece and his intricate use of vocabulary and figurative language made me realize that he was not only an incredible visionary and civil rights leader, but he was also brilliant as a writer. Anyhow, on to my post…


A 10 Year Old Girl

A few weeks ago I sat down to have a conference with a girl after a week where she got in multiple confrontations with many students, was generally disrespectful and ornery to teachers and peers alike, and even had to take a walk to calm herself down because (in her words):

“I don’t like it when good things happen to other people and not me.”

Several minutes into the conversation, this exchange took place:

Me: “Are you happy more than you are angry? Or are you angry more than you are happy?"
Student (arms crossed): “I’m angry more. I’m angry all the time.”
Me: “Why do you think that is?”
Student: “Because people make me mad.”
Me: “Why do people make you mad?”
Student: “Because I don’t like them.”
Me: “Why don’t you like them?”
Student: “Because no one likes me.”
Me: “Why do you think no one likes you?”
Student: “I don’t know.”
Me: “Do you think it’s because you’re mean to other students?”
Student: “Well, they make me mad and annoy me!”
Me: “Everyone makes you mad?”
Student: “Well, Teresa* doesn’t. She’s nice to me. But, she’s nice to everyone.”
Me: “That’s interesting. Do you think Teresa is happy most of the time?”
Student: “Yeah, she’s always happy. I’ve never seen her get mad.”
Me: “So what you’re saying is that Teresa is nice to everyone and she’s always happy?”
Student (pauses): “Yeah…”

A light of uncertainty and recognition flickered in her usually hate-filled eyes.

***************************
Next Monday is Martin Luther King Day and this week in Language Arts we have been reading and analyzing Dr. King’s speech. After discussing how Dr. King’s groundbreaking idea of peaceful demonstration proved to be far more effective than violence, that same little girl raised her hand.

“My mom tells me that if somebody does something I don’t like I should fight back. She tells me to hit people if they bother me. Shouldn’t I listen to my mom?"

The same flickering light I saw in her eyes a few weeks ago was back.

A 10 year old girl who is constantly angry at the world – but has the utmost admiration for Martin Luther King – seems to have come to a crossroad. I wonder… will the beacon of hope that radiates from Martin Luther King’s words overcome the darkness that engulfs her in her home environment? A few days dedicated to learning the philosophies of the staunchest proponent of peace in our nation’s history is trying to overcome a lifetime of cancerous hatred that is being fed to her by the person that holds the most influence on her young mind.

The Perfect Role Model

2,000 years ago, as He was being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus stopped His followers from drawing swords against his accusers. In submitting to peace, He proclaimed His love to all and in doing so ensured the success of the greatest civil rights movement in human history.

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. had the perfect role model to lead him, one that he turned to every day of his life. In doing so, he led our nation's great Civil Rights Movement and became an incredible role model to others - even 10 year old children that have less-than-ideal home environments. I pray for these children. I hope you will as well – even those of you that don’t usually pray.


*Name changed

Tebowing (noun)

“I don’t want to get married… because I see how my parents are. And they’ve been together, like, years… I want first kisses. I want passion… the whole way through.”

This obscure quote is from the movie “Reality Bites.” The title of this movie – and this quote – is very appropriate to our culture. We love the honeymoon stage, where everything is a dreamlike and perfect, where every high builds on the last one, and we ride the wave of bliss that can seemingly carry us to anywhere imaginable.

We are all wise enough to recognize the immaturity of this thinking. It isn’t realistic to stay permanently in the honeymoon period of anything. Despite this, this type of thinking is found in our culture in places beyond marriage.

Tebowing
1. Verb - The act of emulating Tim Tebow by getting on one knee with fist on forehead as if in prayer. (example)
2. Noun - The state of human infatuation, otherwise known as the honeymoon period.

I, like many football fans around the country, am on my honeymoon with Tim Tebow. He is a fantastic human being who always takes time to talk with fans. He treats every person he meets like they are important. And, in the egotistical world of professional sports while playing arguably the most ego-centric position, he is humble beyond comprehension. Amplifying the intrigue is Tebow’s unwavering profession of faith which causes people to either be drawn in closer to him, or be repelled by him.

It’s easy to get caught up in Tebowing when his exploits take a team from a 1-4 start to 8-5 and the brink of a playoff spot. It’s easy for our hearts to be warmed by a person who says all the right things, does all the right things, and – despite constant talk about how he doesn’t have the requisite skills to be an NFL quarterback – doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder and takes his criticism in stride with humility. It is easy to love when all is going well.

Sadly, we are nearing the end of the honeymoon stage with Tim Tebow. The past two weeks (losses to the Patriots and the Bills) have brought us past the first kisses and passion of initial love. The luster of our torrid affair gives way to the realization that reality does indeed bite – Tim Tebow is not without his warts. Off the field, it’s almost a guarantee that he will in some way disappoint his legions of fans as well – after all, he’s only human. It’s safe to say that his millions of fans will dwindle down, and we will recognize that our ‘love’ of Tebow was actually infatuation, something that does not hold up to the trials that were bound to happen. Tim Tebow won’t be a different person because of his eventual failures. The only thing different will be our inability to look past his flaws. This means the WE are the problem; or, more succinctly, the problem is our inability to cope when things don’t go how we want them to.

Today, Tim Tebow needs to lead his team to victory in order to ensure a spot in the playoffs. Will he succeed? The better question is,

“Will he still be the same man regardless of the outcome of the game?”

Many people unfairly compare Tim Tebow to Christ. Unfortunately, Tebow is destined to fail, whereas Christ is not. There is, however, one area where there is an accurate comparison: we, the followers.

In our lives, there are many variations of Tebowing. It might be a relationship, a hobby, or a job. It might even be our view of God. Will we choose to move past the honeymoon stage?