Sports

How Should Christians Approach Sports?

After preaching this past Sunday night, I received several questions that had more to do with the particulars. There is a reason why I tried to stay away from particulars. My goal in the sermon was to ask one question: Do you have an idol of sports? The entire goal was to put us before the Law of God (specifically, the first commandment) and to see how we need Christ.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give personal opinions in a cloudy area in a sermon but I do think it’s helpful in other platforms. After all, as Haddon Robinson says, “More heresy is preached in application than in Bible exegesis." That language is pretty strong and I might disagree with some of what he says, but I do understand his point. We need to be careful about how we apply the Bible whenever we preach, “Thus says the LORD.”

This is a more appropriate follow up for some of those particulars. The following are my personal opinions on some of the more popular questions I have been asked over the many years of playing sports.

  1. What about the Sabbath and sports?
    There are tons and tons of questions that fit under that principle. What about professional sports? What about travel sports? What about youth sports on Sunday? That is a totally different blog. All I will say is this. There are many good solid Reformed theologians who take different views of the Sabbath. You will have to embrace your view as well. But, to be sure, do not adopt your view based on what is most convenient for you. What does the Bible say? If the Bible says that, embrace it and apply it to sports.
    The overall rule: If sports are consistently taking you away from worship and the life of the church then you need to rethink the way you approach sports.
    To be sure, we need to be careful when we make hard and fast rules. For instance, think about your view of the Sabbath and how it pertains to professional athletes and coaches. Professional sports do not determine the doctrine but the doctrine should determine the Christian’s approach to sports but make sure you think graciously and wisely about that. But, also think about this: How does that same view apply to our military when they are deployed and away from church for many months?
    Be careful about making this about certain rules and merely getting in line with the rules. Make it about the heart of the Sabbath.

  2. Can I spend money on trainers to help my child improve?
    Yes! Matter of fact, send them to me! (Shameless plug.) I love training athletes. I am constantly trying to train guys and girls. Why? Because I know that’s an opportunity to help them in sports and to apply the gospel to sports.
    I have had many conversations with athletes about their gospel identity while I am training them hard. Plus, I love to have an excuse to yell really loud. If you want to be entertained, come watch me train Wide Receivers.
    In all seriousness, yes, you can spend money on trainers. It is not an ungodly thing to do. The question is: Why? Why are you wanting to do this? Is it because you have to have a child who is successful in sports? Is it because your child has to live in light of your athletic prowess? Why do you want to do this? Is this training taking them away from church?
    Also, how much money are you spending? Is it hindering your tithing? Is it hindering your responsibility to pay bills and support your family?
    Yes, it is totally fine to pay for training but just be wise. Search your heart and your child’s heart for the why question. Matter of fact, that’s really how I will answer a lot of these questions.

  3. Can my child play football or an extreme sport?
    Depends. What condition is your child’s body in? How old are they? What extreme sport is it? This is not a moral or ethical decision but rather a situation-by-situation decision. I played football. My son most likely will play football. Will I force him? No. Will he want to? Maybe. Is he allowed to be a defensive back? Absolutely not! (I say that facetiously. If you know me, you’ll understand my love for “Wideouts”.)
    Think about how big and how fragile your child is before they enter that sport. For my parents, I waited until 6th grade. I broke my collar bone that year. That’s why I hated to play defense. But seriously, I had an injury in an injury-prone game. Was I ready to play football then? I think so. Should I have waited? Maybe? Who knows? Each parent must come to their different conviction. This is not a moral issue. This is a wisdom issue.

  4. What does it look like to be competitive and work hard as a Christian?
    There is a grand difference between hard work and idolizing. As Mark Brown so wisely said to me yesterday, “You can just smell it when it’s there.” I think he’s right. It’s not always the easiest to tell to the naked eye but when someone is idolizing sports, it just seems to stand out.
    Athletes should work hard in sports. We dishonor God and don’t love our teammates when we slack off. But, there is a difference between being competitive and hard-working versus idolizing sports. You need to search your own heart. You need the gospel continually before you. Here are some probing questions: If sports were taken away from you, would you be really sad or would you be full-on depressed? What makes you most anxious in life? Is it how you perform? What gives you your identity? Is it Christ or your performance?

  5. What if sports is your job? How does that affect time, thoughts, and money?
    We need to be careful whenever we make hard and fast rules about how much time and thoughts we put into sports. Does this apply to coaches or athletes when it’s their job? The real question is: Can you stop thinking about sports and think about the gospel? Can you bring the gospel into your working world? Are you preoccupied more with your performance than you are with the Person and Work of Christ for you? Is corporate worship still prioritized?
    If sports is your job, you should be thinking a lot about sports! It’s honoring to God that you do so. But, like any other job, if it grabs your affections more than anything else then you’re idolizing it. Is God really God to you? Or, is sports? That’s the heart question. What really controls your life? Who do you really answer to?

  6. How do I know when sports is becoming an idol?
    I’ve been answering this in each one. I think there are many indicator lights to answer this. Once again, Mark Brown was spot on when he said to me, “Who do we answer to?” That’s the question. In the end, who do we answer to? Do we rest in our sports performance or in Christ? Do we give ultimate allegiance to Christ or to sports? Who do we obey? Who do we follow? What is our confidence in? When sports is said and done, can you really give it up? Do you live in the past? Are you inseparable from your identity on the court?

  7. What if my child is on a team that is filled with very ungodly people?

    Awesome! What an opportunity! Now, be careful though. Make sure you keep talking to your child. Watch their heart. They still need a godly community. But, what an opportunity! Show them how to live out and speak the gospel to their teammates. Often times, teammates are very vulnerable in the locker room. There are so many opportunities to give someone gospel hope whenever things don’t go right for another athlete. This shouldn’t be their primary community but must be an important one. Take advantage of this! Your child shouldn’t get to the end of a season without their teammates knowing they’re a Christian. That doesn’t mean they’re obnoxious about it. Rather, we need to be winsome. We need to speak the truth in love.

  8. Is it wrong to play multiple sports?
    No. Playing multiple sports is great! They can learn so many different things playing multiple sports. The real questions are: Are the multiple sports keeping them from the church? Why are you playing multiple sports? Is it for self-glory?
    Is it wrong to play multiple sports? No. But, make sure to keep a gauge on your child’s heart. Is this teaching them that sports are the most important thing in life? This differs from child to child. Also, maybe playing multiple sports is actually hurting your family. Maybe it’s not the most practical thing. Maybe for other families, it’s very practical. There are some kids who should be playing sports all year because it’s not very good for them to stay idle.

  9. Is it wrong to be an avid supporter of a sports team?

    Absolutely not! I love Tulane, Troy, Manchester City, and the New England Patriots. The question is: Is your identity in these teams? Here are some questions you can ask yourself: Do I get inordinately angry when my team fails? Am I treating the players and coaches as real people in need of Jesus or are they animals playing a sport for my slavish delight? Is my week more determined by the schedule of my favorite sports team or by the covenant community? Does my love for a sports team cause me to hate supporters of other teams? Am I spending too much money in support of this team?
    Supporting teams is a great thing! Matter of fact, I think it’s a common grace that should teach us about supporting our local church through the highs and lows.

At the end of the day, who is Lord of your life? What is the gospel? Is it that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead? Or is it sports?

6 Reasons Why We Need A Reformation In The Sports World

Few things are as untamed by Christians as sports. Few areas of life have the gospel unapplied to it like sports. We are desperate for thoughtful Christians to reform their approach to sports. Without wasting any more time, here are 6 reasons why:

  1. Prosperity Gospel
    Much of the “Christianity” and “gospel” that is presented in the sports world is of a genie-like God (more like “god”) who wants nothing more than for you and your team to be successful. He wants you to stay safe and uninjured. He wants you to win every game and always be a good sport. And, of course, He likes your team more than He likes the other team—but, we’re still going to be nice to them.
    I’ve been around it, heard it, and still witness it. From parents to team chaplains, from players to coaches, this is rampant in the sports world. It’s amazing how evangelicals so quickly adopt a sports version of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel as soon as they step onto the field.

    When is the last time you’ve heard a pregame prayer when someone prayed: Father, do whatever it takes tonight to cause us to be less self-reliant and more dependent on you. Do whatever it takes to make an eternal impact on our souls. If we win, if we play well, don’t let it take away our love for Christ. If we lose, if we don’t play well, expose our idols and cause us to love each other even when we lose.
    Often times, not all the time, far more work is done for eternity when someone gets hurt, plays bad, or gets benched. One of the most dangerous things for someone’s heart is if they always succeed, only win, and are nothing but beloved by the fans.
    For high school sports, it’s often the parents (and even Christian parents sometimes) who can be the worst. God is always good when their children are doing well. Yes and amen when God gives us victory! But, when we lose, God isn’t talked about. If He is, it’s often in a pseudo-Christian way of thinking that God wants us to suffer a little loss first before He puts our team and career back on top. We don’t like a God who allows us to lose every game.

  2. Identity Issues
    I have seen teammates who put their identity in sports react in different ways whenever sports fails them. First, they go off the deep end into alcohol, pain killers, sex, or other drugs. Second, they dig even deeper demanding that sports satisfy them. They cannot stand to think of life without sports or without succeeding in sports. Third, they fall into despair and anxiety quicker than the dew evaporates in a New Orleans summer. Fourth, they are bitter towards teammates and slander them in front of others. Fifth, they have no clue who they are whenever sports are done.
    Countless athletes and coaches put their identity in their performance (only another form of works-righteousness). I have been there numerous times too. One of the best things that God can ever do to an athlete is to strip them of their athletic identity so that they must cling to Christ. When is the last time you’ve seen a Christian coach encourage one of his players who has been struggling on the field and yet simultaneously is growing in shifting his or her identity from sports to Christ?
    When I was at Tulane, I went through a “chiseling” season in my identity. I went from being the number one receiver the year before to immediately being the number seven receiver under a new head coach. My performance was my idol. I was my performance on the field. I idolized sports. Then, God broke me.
    Why did this happen? Ultimately, because God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me, and therefore He would also send the Spirit to purge sin out of me. At one point, my prosperity gospel believing coach looked at me and said, “You’re not a Christian! I’m a Christian.”
    Safe to say, I was losing everything of a self-made identity in that season. Jesus loved me so much that He stripped it away so that I would have to learn to look away from myself and onto Him. I have seen so many other solid Christian men go through these seasons as well. Are we going to encourage this?

  3. Horrendous Pre-Game Sermons
    I was beyond blessed to sit under a BCM Pastor, Corey Olivier (who was also our team chaplain at Tulane), for four years. Corey preached the gospel. And when I say Corey preached the gospel, I mean it. I also had the great opportunity to spend four months with Jack Easterby, team chaplain of the New England Patriots, in 2014. That man also preached the gospel. Week-in and week-out, these men showed us Jesus. But, here is the truth: Not everyone does this.
    I have been around other team chaplains, seen clips of, and heard from other people about the vast majority of what’s preached in sports circles. It’s an offense to God. To put it bluntly, it’s turning the gospel into a whoring mechanism after sports glory. That’s strong but that’s how bad it is.
    There are men who prostitute God’s Word for their own agenda to get “amens”, head nods, and retweets. Athletes LOVE it whenever they can take something in Scripture as a guarantee that they will win or have a successful career. These “sermons” are some of the most man-centered things I have ever heard. There have been men who twist Scripture to say what it clearly doesn’t say in order to pump up the team they preach to.
    Praise God for men like Corey and Jack! We need more of them. We need men who are saturated with the biblical gospel who proclaim a true gospel and make gospel-centered applications. We need more men who will proclaim a God who is so infinite that all of our sports must be centered around Him.

  4. Horrendous Pre-Game Prayers

    When I was in High School, I was playing travel basketball for a couple of years. We had a phenomenal basketball coach. But, before each game, he did something that unfortunately is done all too often. He would lead us in the Lord’s Prayer and immediately after begin to curse and take God’s name in vain to pump us up.
    I have been in so many circles where people use the Lord’s Prayer as if it’s a cult-like chant rather than a somber and holy moment to speak to our loving and Holy Father. There are many in the sports world who quote the Lord’s Prayer as if it’s some magic incantation that will guarantee them Samson-like strength to defeat their opposition.
    Because God isn’t seen as God, many pray to a god who might manipulate the game in their favor for their glory. It’s quite the scene to see adamant unbelievers who want nothing to do with Jesus pray the prayer that He Himself modeled for us before every game. Even Christian athletes themselves use that prayer as if it’s a magic potion. These prayers are far more about us and far less about Christ.

  5. Missing the Point
    Sports exist for the glory of Christ. The joy of playing sports should trace us back to a greater joy of knowing Jesus. The lessons we learn in sports are lessons that we should use for growing in the Christian life. The trials we go through and the perseverance we learn in sports should be training for persevering in Christ.
    Everything about sports is meant for us to grow in Christ. If we’re not growing in Christ while playing sports then we’re not doing sports rightly. Coaches aren’t taking advantage of what they should take advantage of. Athletes are not applying the lessons to their walk with Jesus the way they should. We’re missing the whole point of sports if there is no Christ in sports.

  6. Missing Church
    I wonder how much our church attendance might go up this Fall. I wonder how many college students might actually wake up on Sunday morning. I wonder how many parents won’t have to travel to sports tournaments weekend after weekend this year. It’s amazing how we are so determined to never miss a game or be late to practice but we’re fine showing up late to church or just catching up on a podcast later. It’s amazing how zealous parents are for their child to make the baseball or cheerleading team but could care less if they go to youth group or Sunday school (it’s clearly too much to ask for Sunday evening worship). How will we ever teach our kids what it means to be a Christian if we only teach them over and over that church is optional?

    ***Parents, are you more concerned with your child’s growth in sports than you are in their growth in Christ? You can tell by how much time, money, and passion that you put in sports compared to what you put in the Christian life.***

    It’s amazing how many of us are more influenced during the week by what happens on Saturdays in the Fall than by what we hear proclaimed from God’s Word on Sunday.

    Scenario: It’s Tuesday afternoon. The coffee is wearing off. You’re almost done with a second workday in the week. Do you find yourself remembering the score of the game on Saturday? Could you summarize the game to a co-worker who didn’t see it? Can you remember the stats of how many yards your team’s quarterback threw for? Let’s try another test. Can you remember what text was the preacher preached from this past Sunday (a more recent event)? Could you summarize the sermon to a co-worker whose curious about Christianity? Can you remember what the preacher said about how that text changes the way you live on this Tuesday afternoon?
    It’s not only about physically missing church. It’s about spiritually missing church. You sat in the pews going through the motions because you’re preoccupied with reminiscing last night’s game and what it means for you and your team this week. We love to spend more time talking about church at sports than talking about Christ at church.
    And here is the thing: I am part of this problem.

I love sports. We should love sports. We should care deeply about sports. But, sports is not God. Every game matters. Every loss, win, injury, touchdown, timeout, roars from the crowd, boos from the fans, and joy experienced from an upset win matters. God is sovereign over every single detail of everything in the sports world. But, He is sovereign over it for His glory. He is jealous for His glory, not ours. In other words, if we’re not taking advantage of the entirety of sports for our glorifying God and knowing God’s love for us then we’re idolizing sports. We’re not using it for what it’s meant for.

How many are led away from Christ in the name of a “Christ” who cares more about their sports career or their team winning than he does with them knowing Him!

Lord Jesus, come quickly!


Interview with Asa Watson (Missionary in Germany and former Professional Football player)

One of the ideas that I was inspired by from some other youth workers was to do some interviews with some people for our youth to watch. In this interview with my good friend Asa Watson, we talked about how he went from playing professional football (with me at the New England Patriots in 2014), to working with a pit crew in NASCAR, to campus ministry, and now to being a missionary in Germany. Asa and I also got to talk about what it’s like to live on mission and how to be a Christian in an increasingly secular culture.

The Gospel and Sports (RYM Youth Leader Podcast)

Last week, I was able to record a series of podcasts with John Perritt on the issue of sports and youth culture. We discussed my testimony in the sports world, the good aspects and blessings of sports, the bad aspects of sports, how the prosperity gospel has affected the sports world, and finally about some tips for parents who have children who play sports. Each podcast is around 15 minutes on average that is a good resource to listen to in the car. To listen to the podcasts, download the “Podcast” app from the App Store on your iPhone, search “The Local Youth Worker Podcast”, and look for the podcast label that has the RYM logo on it. There are five episodes, one for each day of the week, and they are episodes 231-235. If you prefer to listen to them online, click here to listen to them.