“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8 ESV).
“ ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything” (1 Cor 6:12).
Fall spectacles
In the fall, at least in North America, many minds turn to the start of the college and professional (American) football seasons. Many college graduates avidly follow the fortunes of the gifted athletes who play on Saturday — gifted not only for their athletic ability but also by their good fortune in being able to attend college for free. Many CYC’s hold youth weekends combined with sport challenges. Being the product of an English education, I am free from the compulsion to follow any college team, and as I have spent all my time in America in areas with what was at the time a somewhat pathetic professional football team, that sport also has not greatly impacted me, although I seem to be somewhat unusual in that, even in our community.
However, football is perhaps a special case. Sometimes a connection is made between football and gladiatorial combat — sometimes by those who defend the game.1Tertullian mentioned three aspects of gladiatorial combat: the physical harm to the contestants, the moral harm to the spectators, and the pagan cultic ritual that surrounded the shows.2I am not sure about the pagan cultic ritual, but if you attend a modern major college game with its 100,000+ spectators, rituals are a major part, including, in many cases, a strong patriotic and military presence. I think we can appreciate the skills of the players, the intense teamwork required, and the complex strategy. How often it all comes down to a “two minute drill”, which of course lasts for a least twenty minutes.
Sports and exercise
There is no doubt that exercise and most form of sports promote and improve a long, healthy life. Simply walking or any other form of moderate exercise for twenty minutes a day can improve heart health and potentially extend life span. In general, the health benefits of moderate exercise far outweigh the risks of getting hurt. This reflects exactly what Paul said two millennia ago: “bodily training is of some value”. And so it is with sports: participation, especially for young children and all those of school-age, is of significant value, as it promotes a healthy life-style, occupies their time wisely, encourages good social interaction, and is something that all parents should promote. Joining a sports team is also beneficial, but the culture in many towns is for the parents to get far too deeply involved as to whether the team of their child wins, or how well he or she plays. Winning is not everything in sports.
I must admit I grew up in a different culture. I played sports, but no parent of any child ever attended any of my games, and mostly they were indifferent to the result. Participation was encouraged, but certainly there was no intense pressure to win. The games I was at as a parent in this country showed that the ones with the most intense desire to win at any cost were the parents, not the children. It was their behavior in the game that was the most troubling.
(In most of the following discussion, the numbers are based upon the current state of affairs in the USA. Canada differs, in that the maximum athletic scholarship there is limited to tuition, but the huge difference between college costs in the USA and Canada means that for a Canadian student to go to the USA is rarely a wise idea.)
Unfortunately, almost all sports can cause injuries. High school athletes account for 2 million injuries in the USA, while for children under the age 14, 3.5 million require medical treatment for sports injuries. However,3
- Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students. In other words, focusing on only one sport, even though the student might become accomplished at it, will often result in unnecessary injuries.
- According to the CDC, more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable. In other words, correct protective equipment (bicycle helmets, pads for skateboards etc.) should always be used.
Once again, the parents are the ones to ensure the child does not indulge in sports excessively, and always ensure he or she is well protected. Once again, to be enslaved by a sport is highly undesirable, both for spiritual as well as for religious reasons. In addition, from a strictly practical point of view, it is more realistic to study to obtain an academic scholarship. In order to even hope for an athletic scholarship, the parents have to invest enormous amounts of money and time, and the student has to sacrifice whole chucks of time they could otherwise devote to social or spiritual activities, all to chase what so often is a will o’ the wisp.4
Football again
“He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country” (Isa 22:18 NIV).
So back to football. Should you encourage/let your (male) child participate in American style football?5There are many aspects of football that are good. To be any good at it, you have to be imaginative, disciplined, practice teamwork and put the good of the team ahead of yourself. In fact, of all sports, it is probably the most team-oriented since every player has a specific assignment on every play that must be carried out in coordination with his teammates, — and you’d be surprised how much study is involved with learning your assignments. You have to know your job the instant the play is called, especially if it’s one called by the quarterback changing plays at the line of scrimmage. There’s a lot of discipline involved in the sport. For one thing, you have to build yourself up for the game with a lot of exercises and running that are no fun in themselves. If you do not, you’ll be easily hurt or be too tired to compete by the fourth quarter. In the USA, over 1 million young men suit up every year, and the vast majority will finish the season stronger in body and perhaps character than when they started.
The problems — physical
But there are some serious disadvantages one should consider. The game is physically dangerous. Despite improvements in the safety of equipment, warnings are issued by equipment manufacturers stating the inherent risk that goes with playing the game. There was a young brother in Washington, D.C. who was killed during a high school football game6. Is it right to deliberately play as dangerous a sport and then pray to God to keep one safe? I know that we risk injury playing any sport. And of recent times, other than the risk of serious injury, there has developed increasing concern about the long term consequences of concussions, especially on young brains. So unless the game changes in a dramatic way, there is always a real risk of some long term brain damage from the concussions that will most likely occur.
The problems — spiritual
The whole principle of football, with its emphasis on blocking, is explosive physical contact. The result inevitably is a surge of adrenalin and the resultant increase in aggression. A good block received, or a hard tackle, and the next time you have the opportunity, you want to “level” the opponent. Not quite like you are filled with Christian love, or have turned the other cheek.
Again, when we might be challenged with the return of conscription, to have played football is a highly negative consideration. At least one brother was refused exemption and sentenced to prison, which he believed was due to his starring role in his team. Beware of achieving your dream!
Of course, there is no direct or indirect prohibition to be found in the Scriptures, so it is up to each individual family to prayerfully decide for themselves.
- Playing in the National Football League is no punishment. Rather, it is a great honor. The same is not true about gladiator games; they are often rooted in punishmen. Rather, football is a game of pride that is dramatically moving toward safer innovations, strengthening its case for a prosperous future in a medically conscious society. http://thesportsquotient.com/ nfl/ 2014/10/4 is-football-a modern gladiator-game.
- “For where there is pleasure, there is eagerness, which gives pleasure its flavor. Where there is eagerness, there is rivalry which gives its flavor to eagerness. Yes, and then, where there is rivalry, there also are madness, bile, anger, pain, and all the things that follow from them, and (like them) are incompatible with moral discipline” Tertullian, (c. 200 AD), De Spectaculis, p. 271.
- http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/.
- See NY times article “Expectations Lose to the Reality of Sports Scholarships.”
- Some what based on an article in The Christadelphian Tidings, 1990, p 231.
- See The Faith, 1949 p. 94.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One