Category Archives: Sports

Dear NFL…

05 Monday Feb 2018

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Dear NFL, it’s so over.

You’ve had chance after chance to do the right thing in many circumstances, but the powers that be in your organization and teams continue to make choices that oppress people who are not hyper-masculine, straight white male.

Let’s begin with race.

It’s seems as though you are using bodies for your own profit.  And often, it’s the bodies of black males.  You use them for your own entertainment, like in the days of the gladiators in the arenas.  (How many have had repeated concussions and now have chronic traumatic encephalopathy?)  Yet when they have an opinion that diverts from your owners or viewers, then they magically do not get their contracts renewed.  Funny – their talent is greater than many players out there, but they aren’t playing.  Colin Kaepernick is a good-hearted soul that wants justice in our world.  He spends his resources building up other people.  And yet he’s the one who has been unofficially banned from playing for using his agency to make the world aware of police brutality.

Secondly, you also forget the women.

There’s the issue of the cheerleaders who get paid less than minimum wage and must spend their own resources to keep their looks in top shape.  (Two articles to read are here and here.  Additionally, I wrote a piece on this blog here.)

And football player-related arrests tend to be related to domestic violence and sexual assault.   The most frustrating thing about the response by the NFL is the minimal punishment (two to four game suspension like in the 2014 case of Ray Rice).  A player committing violence against his partner is only ousted for a couple of games; a player peacefully protesting police brutality gets ousted indefinitely.

Furthermore, when riches and partiers gather at a Super Bowl city, trafficking tends to increase.  Women and children are sold for a price for their bodies.  The cities do what they can to watch for signs of traffickers and victims; yet according to this 2017 article, the NFL is in denial that such events take place at their precious event each year.

And you’ve managed to brush aside openly gay football players.

Again we fall upon widespread hyper-masculinity when seeing that there has never been an openly gay active NFL player, and few have come out after retiring.  Michael Sam was drafted far into the draft and was eventually released – never mind his stellar NCAA record.

I’m sure that if you haven’t cared much about the other three groups, you’ve tried to ignore how you’ve played the intersections of race and gender.  And with this I’m talking about Janet.  (And since you are nasty, it’s Ms. Jackson to you, NFL.)  Two people were part of the act.  Ms. Jackson was publicly shamed and has been snubbed for many years.  Her partner in the 2014 act will be leading the halftime show.  She’s an African-American female.  He’s a white male.  There’s a pattern developing here…

And lastly, let’s think about wealth and your system, NFL.  When I go on Instagram, I will see a host of celebrities with their photos at the game.  I will also see a host of your friends taking selfies at their homes in front of the chicken wings.  It’s because the cost of a ticket is almost $3,000.  And the tickets went up 31% compared to last year.  All games can be expensive, but when the tickets are this expensive, a person would have to work 413 hours at minimum wage to buy a ticket.

It would be nice if a certain percentage of tickets would go at a fair price to the average American consumer.  But from my experience working at the Super Bowl hospitality village immediately before the 2001 game in Tampa, I saw how many corporate partners get tickets for the game, and how many get fed and provided libations in their own little tents inside the village right before the game.

NFL, you’ve managed to marginalize people of color, women, the LGBT community and working-class people.  So as you see it’s you, not me.   I avoided the entirety of your game and halftime show.  I wrote and watched a movie on television.  I still ate guacamole and chips, but instead of watching men of color used for their bodies and women on the sidelines objectified for a small fee, I chose to watch Kylie Jenner’s baby video instead.

(That’s right.  Kardashians over you, NFL.)

Regards,
Michelle

Death’s Frequent Visits and the Spirit Which Remains

28 Wednesday Dec 2016

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carrie_fisher_2013_cropped_retouched“2016 has been a terrible year,” I’ve heard repeatedly since January.  First, it was David Bowie, quickly followed by Alan Rickman.  Over the year shocking and unexpected announcements were made about the deaths of Prince, Mohammad Ali and Gene Wilder.

We can’t forget the many people who had smaller roles in our seventies/eighties pop culture: George Gaines from Punky Brewster and Police Academy, George Kennedy from The Naked Gun movies, James Noble from Benson, Ron Glass and Abe Vigoda from Barney Miller, and the Pat Harrington from One Day at a Time.  Creators like Garry Marshall who gave us Happy Days and Pretty Woman aren’t here anymore. Even music got a little quieter when Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire as well as Glen Frey from The Eagles died.

And then this month happened.

Our beloved 80’s dad Alan Thicke tragically and suddenly passed due to a malfunctioning aorta.  Then came Carrie Fisher’s heart attack on an airplane.  They said she was stable… so she should be ok, right?  Before we heard any more on her condition, George Michael died on Christmas Day.  Two days later, Fisher died.

For my fellow Generation X-ers, our entire childhood is fading fast before us.  Two thousand sixteen reminded us of this.

george_michael_02_bisThe Grim Reaper’s frequent visits happen occasionally.  In my personal life, I remember the uncomfortable year of 1994.  First, my grandma died of metastatic breast cancer.  Then my grandfather had a massive stroke.  Finally, my grandfather’s brother died from a sudden heart attack in the doctor’s office.  My soul felt a bit worn by the end of the year – especially after a breakup of a long term relationship in October.

Grief is the greatest experience I remember from that year.  It’s amazing how so much grief will cloud one specific year of your life.

alan_rickman_after_seminar_28329As a pastor, I see how death comes in waves.  There are times when we have three funerals in one week.  Or there are times when our congregations seem like they’ve lost so many people in one year.  All Saint’s Sunday is filled with names of our recently deceased read aloud.  I’ve seen this happen in two specific years of my ministry so far: 2010 and 2015.

These are people who we knew and with whom we spoke and with whom I worked.  This still makes me why we experience so much grief when a celebrity dies.

We’ve never really knew them – we think to ourselves.  But their contribution to the soundtracks and movies of our lives leads us to consider them a close part of who we are and our life experiences.  Remember the middle school sleepovers and singing Prince songs at 1a.m…. or how many times we watched Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves during the summer of 1991 – – right after graduating high school.  Or how many Star Wars movies with Carrie Fisher did we see on the big screen.  The first I watched at the theaters was Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.  Leia is the one who rescues her beloved and then strangles her captor after she is enslaved.  Fisher brought to life one of the strongest females on screen – transforming from a strong-willed princess to a general in charge of the continuing rebellion.

prince_at_coachella_001They are part of our stories, and we are forever grateful for their existence and contributions.  We are grateful for their vulnerability in art.

Which reminds me of the lines in the play Our Town.  After the main female protagonist Emily dies from childbirth, she yearns to experience life once again.  She experiences a semi-ordinary day in her life – giving her the realization that she really didn’t experience life while she ways living it.  Emily says to the state manager narrator of the story: “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it… every, every minute?  The Stage Manager replies “No.  Saints and poets maybe… they do some.”

David.  Alan. Gene. Maurice. Prince. Alan. George. Carrie.  You felt all of  the feelings.  Your experience of emotions influenced your craft in generous and ingenious ways.  You were the saints and poets that were mentioned by the Stage Manager in Our Town.  You experienced the range of emotions – even to the point when it affected your health and well-being.  And you are gone today.  But your experiences remain with you forever on that side of heaven where all of you abide.  Fortunately, your gifts remain with us forever.

Thank you for your gifts, your risks, your authenticity.  Thank you for being you.

Death cannot take you fully away from us because your lasting contributions are still here. This is what everyday resurrection is about.  2016 did not win.

*****

(I missed many other artists and leaders who passed this year as well and who contributed so much.  For a full list of notable people who died in 2016, see this article.)

 

The Great Hope of Postseason 2015

12 Monday Oct 2015

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imageNearly every year in October, I’m fortunate to have my beloved St. Louis Cardinals in MLB’s postseason.  There have been times they have lost in the World Series or in National League Championship play.  But the Cardinals had an active presence in October’s baseball – many times over the course of the past 10 or so years.

Some of my dear friends rarely-to-never have the chance to see the Chicago Cubs in postseason play.  Yet each April they beam with excitement.  This will be the year!  These dedicated fans hold on to a hope that is greater than winning or losing.  It’s a hope that transcends statistics and a century-long losing streak.

So I sit here very conflicted as I watch the television set in my living room.  I’m not rooting against my Cardinals.  I’m cheering for Hope.  And I see that hope in the 2015 Chicago Cubs.

I’m cheering for the rains of hope that come after the dry spells of life.  I’m cheering for the sparks of hope that begin to ignite after failed attempts of lighting a fire.

It’s a hope in which people in the Judeo-Christian faith: hope in the midst of the wilderness.  No matter how many decades we face in the wilderness, there is possibility.  Even though there are exiles after exiles, hope abides and restoration occurs.  It’s a hope that flourishes after crucifixions and tombs.

This hope moves beyond just ballparks but into other parts of our lives.  If they can win, what other things are possible in our world?  Peace?  Love?  Visions becoming a reality  When hope wins all sorts of possibilities arise.

Hope may not win this year.  Instead it may be my Cardinals.

But hope will win someday.

The Sin of Symbolism

03 Friday Jul 2015

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Program title page, Sixth Veiled Prophet Festival, 1883 produced by the Compton Litho Company via Wikimedia Commons

Confession: As a young adult living in the St. Louis area around 1992, I nixed the idea of changing the name of the fair held during the fourth of July weekend.  Growing up, the festival now called Fair St. Louis was always known as the VP Fair.  Why change the name, I wondered.  IT’S TRADITION!  I cared more about what we’ve always done and less about any symbolism and meaning behind the name VP Fair.

I didn’t realize VP meant more than just the letters V and P…

As time passed, I learned more about the Veiled Prophet Fair and all festivities connected to the twisted tradition.  During their yearly Veiled Prophet Ball, young adult women from prominent families “come out” to society, with the queen nestled next to a veiled prominent older (almost exclusively white) man from the St. Louis area.  When reading about the history of the Ball, one can see the Confederate roots associated with the pomp and pageantry.

In 2014, The Atlantic wrote an excellent piece on the traditions connected to the Veiled Prophet organization, adding to my education of a deeply rooted classist and racist traditions.  Searching more on the organization, I stumbled upon their website.  The Veiled Prophet organization stresses the philanthropic and service work done in their name.  And while, undoubtedly, the organization has done wonderful things for the St. Louis area, the organization is haunted by racist symbolism in every corner – from the parade to the highly exclusive ball.

Whether it was our yearly online reminder of these annual St. Louis festivities, stories of removal of the Confederate flag, or dialogues, marches, and votes on the names of the Cleveland baseball team and District of Columbia football team that we had at UCC General Synod this week, we are examining the potential sins of symbols.  Each of these traditional icons have a history in oppression.  While those who honor the symbols today do not necessarily support or promote a culture of bigotry, implicitly, we are all responsible for the pain they are causing minority groups.

Each of the symbols I’ve mentioned continue to hold up an empire where some people are valued over others.  The icons say that our history was fine just as it was, never mind that some people were considered less than made in God’s image.

This is more than just being “politically correct.”  (I find it interesting how people of privilege always fall back on the hardship of political correctness – as if taking away a beloved symbol is worse than taking away one’s life, physical and economic freedoms, and dignity.)  With black churches burning, black Christians being shot in their sanctuaries, and black women preachers physically being threatened, it’s time for us to all gather together to make sure all people have their dignity intact – whether they are a racial minority, ethnic minority – including our Native Americans, woman or other gender minority, LGBT person, religious minority, or person with a disability.  It’s time for all of us to examine each symbol to make sure that the icon isn’t robbing someone of their worth.  It’s time for us to prioritize people over shallow and destructive emblems, and it’s time for us to seek reconciliation for our narrow-mindedness rooted in tradition.

 

The League of God Is Like…

02 Monday Feb 2015

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By Gerald Nino/CBP (US Customs and Border Protection archives) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Looking through social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) I saw  how various people were spending their time watching this year’s Super Bowl.  I didn’t know anyone personally who attended this year.  Most of my friends were either home watching the game and updating social media as the event progressed – few were at parties or bars watching.

But what I noticed were that celebrities were posting picture after picture of themselves in the stands of the game.  And this got me thinking of those who are able to go and who will simply never see a Super Bowl game (or any NFL game, for that matter) live and up close.

I’ve been to a couple of NFL games.  Fortunately, I was able to receive the tickets for free.  Otherwise, I would rarely, if ever, be able to afford a game.

According to a report I found from 2013, the average ticket price for an NFL game is $81.54.  With federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour, one may need to work 11.25 hours to afford just the game ticket.  The average Super Bowl ticket was about $3,600 according to some sources.  And that means they would have to work 496 hours to purchase an average Super Bowl ticket (or 12.4 weeks of 40 hour work weeks) for a three-to-four hour game.

What I find interesting is that taxpayer money will fund the stadiums which hold the games that many taxpayers themselves can not afford to attend.  So the poor essentially pay for the benefits of the rich.

In 2001, when the Super Bowl was in Tampa, I volunteered at the Hospitality Village.  Only those who had a special ticket could get in.  Sponsored parties were held in various areas of the village.  And then those who were at parties in the village moved over to the stadium to find their seats and the privilege to watch the game live and absorb the excitement around them.

The have nots, like myself, looked upon a stadium that I could not afford to get into.  I’m also guessing that the way sponsorships and VIP passes work, I’m sure many didn’t have to pay for their ticket but they were given the ticket for free.  Often, it’s about who you know.

Yesterday, I mentioned the subversive nature of Jesus in my sermon.  Sure, he may be someone hanging out in the stands during an NFL game.  He did eat with the privileged during his time.  But he also spent time with those who were thrown away by society.  Jesus would have been hanging out near the side of the road with those begging for food and in the work areas of the stadium with those who had to work through the game.  The Hospitality Village would be open to all in Jesus’ realm.

Maybe the League of God would be an NFL game with people of every economic level in a stadium.  Maybe it would be a stadium with the poorest sitting on the sidelines watching the game in the privileged areas while the super-rich were required to have the nosebleed seats.

I wonder how that would turn our society on it’s head…

NFL Cheerleaders, First Ladies, Stay-at-Home Moms and Ethical Pay Scales

14 Friday Feb 2014

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20140214-132924.jpgThis week, I heard of another case where an NFL cheerleader is suing the team for inadequate pay. This time, the cheerleader, Alexa Brenneman brought the suit as an individual as she claims that her pay equals that of $2.85 per hour ($5 less than Ohio’s minimum wage).

Even before this and the suit with the Raiderettes, I was concerned about this practice. When I was in my twenties and in much better shape, I had ever-so-briefly toyed around with the thought of auditioning the Buccaneers cheerleaders. I thought I remember that they made somewhere between $50-$100 per game. But then I read a 2003 article which notes that they receive no monetary compensation for ANY of their work or efforts – except they receive two tickets per game.

I tried to see how much money the cheerleaders make now, but could not find any numbers. But looking at their site now, I see that it even costs $40 to audition for a role of cheerleader. Plus, during the season, they are required to give 50 hours of charity work per season. Furthermore, it doesn’t take into account how much it costs to look the way an NFL cheerleader should look.

The NFL acts like it’s doing women a favor or something…

At the same time, the men are getting paid millions of dollars per season while the women only a couple or few thousand. Or, like the Buccaneer cheerleaders, they may make nothing. Granted, the men are competing in a sport where concussions are expected and life expectancy is short. But when the mascot makes twenty-some thousand per year to sixty-some thousand per year, getting paid a couple of thousand dollars to look good, be athletic and wear barely any clothing sounds entirely and completely off balance.

To hear an individual cheerleader or cheerleading team stands up for themselves is refreshing, especially when their work matters to an organization or corporation. (The Bengals organization makes approximately $1 million off of the work of the Ben-Gals cheerleaders.)

This issue reflects something larger in our society. First Ladies give many hours per week filling ambassador-like roles. Yet they receive no compensation. I often wonder if a First Lady could refuse the role and live a completely private life or work completely in her own position away from the White House. And if a man ever fills the role of “First Lady,” would they reconsider compensation rates?

And then there are many churches where the wife of the pastor is required to fill a role for – once again – no salary. Since stay-at-home parenting is predominantly completed by women, minimal to no thought is given to their compensation package and must rely solely on their spouse’s income.

But stay-at-home moms who are married and have a man taking care of them are heralded as heroes while stay-at-home moms who are single and must live on welfare are called “welfare queens” and “lazy.” I have the utmost respect for anyone who chooses this calling, whether they are married or not.

I clearly remember hearing Gloria Steinem say in one of her speeches that stay-at-home moms should get compensation for their work. And the reason is my next point…

Here’s the big issue: to our society, compensation is equivalent to value. When you make more money, you “matter” more. When you don’t make as much money, you matter less – unless you fill the societal proper role of your gender.

This is the exception: To our society, it’s ok if you make no money as long as you are a woman supporting a man – either his team, his fantasy, his role as leader, his job, etc. Apparently, that is reward in itself.

But what our culture forgets is that women and men are both made in God’s image and all are given gifts to make this world a strong place. When a woman works, her work is just as valuable as a man’s. And while it’s not my calling, even cheerleaders deserve the same respect and validation for their hard work as anyone else.

In reflecting upon this, I remember a story in scriptures that show women standing up for their fair share. Numbers 27 recalls the narrative of Zelophehad’s daughters who want their part of their father’s estate. Moses advocates on behalf of them, and God responds “Zelophehad’s daughters are right in what they are saying.”

And so are the NFL cheerleaders. Keep advocating for your fair share.

Falling

09 Sunday Feb 2014

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smeary fallYesterday, I fell.

Like 99.9999% of the population, I didn’t plan on falling.  I try my hardest to stroll cautiously on the ice.  I though that I was doing pretty well by not falling so far during this treacherous winter season.  But it was only a matter of time until the soles of my boots met a patch of ice in the most inopportune way.

Boom.

Fortunately, having lots of “padding” on my body helped to cushion my fall, although I managed to find a couple of bruises on me this morning.  I didn’t hit my head (thank God), but my face was staring directly into the patch of ice that inhibited my walking.  But after grumbling at the ice for about 45 seconds, I got back up – even though I was a little sore, a little embarrassed and a greatly discouraged.

Like many of you, during the past few days I have been watching some of the Winter Olympics.  It truly amazes me how these women and men on the slopes and rinks can fall down and quickly find themselves back on their feet again.  Even after some traumatic injuries, they return to the ice and snow.  They’ve felt the pain of falling, and yet they aren’t afraid to try once again.

I’m greatly fearful of participating in most of these winter sports.  I would probably fall, and in that fall I would probably gain a concussion or find one of my bones cracked.  I’ve managed to injure myself in one of the three times I’ve been ice skating and still have the scar 22 years later to prove it.  Why would I want to fall, and why would I put myself in any situation where I would?  So I refuse to risk.

But what about the failures that don’t include broken bones?  Our souls are on the slopes even though our bodies are far from them.  I see these spiritual slopes as starting a new business, engaging in a relationship or taking on a new call?  We may not find ourselves with physical bruises, but if we fall or fail, our egos will be bruised.  Our reputations will be scarred.  In many cases, we don’t go back to the slopes of life because the emotional and spiritual pain was way to great the last time we fell.

I remembered when I failed my driver’s test, and when I didn’t get into seminary the first time I applied and when I didn’t fully pass my orals on the first time.  In each of those cases, I thought about quitting.  I thought about laying on the spiritual ground after I had fallen.  But, instead, I got back up.

Whether it was a metaphorical or physical fall, it felt good to get back up.  I was grateful that I was able to rise after all of my falls and fails.

The Bible is full of fails.  Samson failed, and then he got back up before he died.  David failed in his choices with Bathsheba, but then he got back up.  Even Jesus failed in his approach with they Syrophoenician woman.  She corrected him, and he continued with his ministry.  He fell as he was prosecuted by Rome and crucified, but as he rose on the third day, his story spread throughout the land and has lasted 2000 years later.

And our rising back up is sweeter when others give us a hand and we can help others in their healing process.  Rising from failures – physical or emotional – aren’t done in a vacuum.  They are most successful when we can help one another rise from the pits and patches of ice.

So I might not ski down large slopes or attempt the Double Lutz while on ice.  But I’ll continue skiing down many emotional and metaphorical slopes throughout the rest of my life.  Most likely, I’ll fall again, and maybe I’ll experience another powerful resurrection.

At the finish line

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

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finish line“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1)

Back when I used to run in more races (usually 5k races), I was still not in the best shape.  I was exhausted past the halfway mark, if not earlier in the race.  I was barely making it to the end.  But when I saw the silhouette of the finish line, I began to find my second wind.

Quite often, there were people lined up on both sides of this end point.

Even though I was running on fumes, short of breath, feeling I was going to have a heart attack or get sick, I would begin to feel a positive energy as I grew closer and closer to the line.  The energy of those cheering reached to me.  As I approached the last few steps, the crowd of strangers were cheering as I sprinted the final handful of strides.

It didn’t matter that I was usually closer to the end of the crowd who was trying to complete the race.  These strangers were called to be cheering us on, no matter who we are or how fast we could compete.

And, one evening, as I crossed the finish line, it occurred to me that the kingdom of God is like the finish line of a race.

I had finished the race, like it said in the above mentioned 2 Timothy text.  I gave all I had to fighting fatigue and doubt.  And then I saw the great cloud of witnesses, embracing their gift of exhortation (encouragement), giving me the last bits of energy and faith I needed to run my last few steps.

I thought to myself – maybe this is like what the transition from our lives on earth to our lives in heaven in God is like.  Maybe those who loved us and those we hardly knew are the great cloud of witnesses cheering us as we reach the finish line and celebrate the race completion.  What a beautiful image of what heaven could be!

And that’s the heaven we experience on earth – at the finish line of races when friend and stranger cheer us on to victory and completion of our goal.  There is only love at the finish line – love from those we know and those we don’t.  There is rarely ill will at the finish line but, instead, genuine gratitude for finishing the race and being loved by all of those around us.  Many of us are trying to find our energy after greatly exerting ourselves, but words and smiles of love are still in our presence.

But Monday was different.  It wasn’t the kingdom of God as we would hope to see it on earth.   As numerous runners neared and crossed the finish line, explosions rattles and injured those at the end of the run.  The people who have answered God’s call to encourage friends and strangers finishing the race were struck with physical and emotional objects and flames.  These are people who were there to share their love with fellow humans.  These are people who were trying to help their neighbors experience the true kingdom of God.

On Monday, that glimpse of what the kingdom of God looks like here on earth was shattered.  It was destroyed in a matter of moments.

Instead of love and peace, trauma and fear now have entered the hearts of many.  Some may be tempted to quit their racing.  Others may find it dangerous to stand and cheer on the many runners.

Right now it’s hard to see that God is the God of resilience and resurrections.  As time passes and healing begins, many will eventually leave behind fear in the tomb and resurrect into a place of faith and hope.  They will lace up their shoes again.  They will rejoin the great cloud of witnesses at the end of the race.  It may take time, but I pray that many who suffered today will find their way back to the finish line.

I look forward to meeting these great cloud of witnesses and fellow runners the next time I run the great race of life… or my next 5k.

My prayers are with all of those in Boston – especially those grieving, those healing and those helping, with runners and spectators of the Boston Marathon and with runners and spectators everywhere.

God doesn’t pick sides

04 Monday Feb 2013

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It’s interesting that Romans 8:31 is trending on Twitter.  Apparently, Ray Lewis of the Ravens quotes this text:

If God is for us, who is against us?

When this trends on Superbowl Sunday, then people are seeing a very specific theological viewpoint.  Quoting this text today would lead people to believe that God picks sides.  Which would make me wonder if the Ravens had more points with God over the past season.  Or maybe the 49ers had created more trouble in God’s eyes.

Both teams had their issues.  Chris Culliver of the 49ers made homophobic comments.  The Ravens’ barred this cheerleader from cheering at the Superbowl because she was “too fat.”  Both teams haven’t had their finest moments with these comments in the recent past.

But God wasn’t rewarding them or punishing them for their comments or actions outside of the field.  I don’t believe that’s the way it works.

I believe that God is like Jack and Jackie Harbaugh.  They want both of their sons to succeed.  They know that one of their sons will walk away the coach of the winning team.  The other will go home disappointed.  And the Harbaugh parents are planning on spending their time first with the son who loses.  Couldn’t that be like God – – a parent who comforts the one who loses before congratulating the one who wins?

God is the parent that wants all of us to win.  So God doesn’t take sides but is the mom or dad who cheers for us all.

There may not be crying in baseball… but there is God…

19 Friday Oct 2012

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October.  Postseason bliss.

I’m a St. Louis girl living in the Cincinnati area.  So, this year, I’m ecstatic that two of my teams were in the postseason blitz.  Yet World Series success can happen to only one of my teams now that Cincinnati’s dreams are gone.  While I am pretty sure that God doesn’t choose one team over another in sports, sometimes God calls us to see lessons in the last few innings of baseball.

  • It’s all mental.

The Reds were doing a phenomenal job defeating the Giants on their turf.  Yet when the Reds returned back to Cincinnati, the Giants returned the favor… the first night… the second night… the third night.  World Series dreams ended for the Reds as the Giants moved forward.

Could the Reds have come back?  Or after each defeat, were they expecting another loss?

Do we play our lives like the Reds did in this postseason?  Do we assume we will lose the next game, and the one following?  When we catch momentum, do we find it easier to sail to the next step?  Does our mind win or lose our game for us?

  • Is the game over yet?  Not for the Cards.

Two years in a row, the Cardinals have been outs away from being defeated.  Yet they come back.  And it was a comeback of record proportions.

How close are we to our final out but then find our second wind?  What does it mean to us that even when facing defeat there’s still a chance for us to win?

The Cardinals have taught me to hope in the face of loss.  Even when the fans are in locked rooms like the apostles after the death of Jesus, hope appears to them.  That’s what it means to be a Cardinals fan in the 2010’s.

  • Resources don’t necessarily matter.  There’s still a chance to win!

The Yankees have the highest payroll, yet the Tigers, the team with the fifth highest payroll, defeated them in the ALCS.  The Cardinals lost Pujols, yet they are back in the NLCS this year.  While having greater resources tends to give advantage, it doesn’t always guarantee a win.

In our society, those with the most resources win more often.  But more money and more power doesn’t mean that person will always win.  Sure, the Yankees are the empire of Major League Baseball.  Do they win every year?  No.  Sometimes the underdog wins.  Sometimes the least likely person wins.  Sometimes, it’s our turn to win.

With God and a dash of hope, there’s always a chance of winning.