the final score

I really enjoy the approaching autumn season for a number of reasons. A few of them in no particular order is the return of Oktoberfest-style brews, a chance for my superior fashion sense to shine in cooler weather (the key to fall fashion is layers), apple cider, and of course the return of football.

It’s been well documented the August is the worst month for sports fans in the calendar year. August baseball leaves much to be desired before the playoff push, and as a nation, we just pine for the pigskin to return to the forefront of the scene.

Now some of you may be saying “Hey Phil, the Olympics happened during August!” And you’re right, they did happen. But I’m going to argue that the Olympics aren’t actually about sport, but more about nationalistic pride and human interest stories.

Let’s look at women’s soccer for example. The team was pretty popular in London, everyone seemed to be following the team and its (lucky) road to a gold medal. And while the national team commands a lot of respect, sadly, no one actually cares about the sport or state of women’s soccer. There’s a reason there isn’t a profitable women’s soccer league in the US. People won’t pay to see the product. They don’t care about the players. They care more about the country, more about the prestige, the pride of winning for their country as opposed to the sport itself. Women’s soccer, and the rest of the Olympic sports, will become, and already has become, an afterthought in the public’s mind.

Now contrast that with the atmosphere in Columbus, Ohio. Officially, college football season starts in September, but anyone in Columbus will tell you that the season never ends. Ohio State is always on the front page of the sports section, regardless of whether it’s November or April. In Indiana, where there is an emphasis on fundamentals, chest passes, and jump shots, Hoosier nation is always in basketball mode. In Boston, every move the Red Sox make in the off-season is scrutinized.

Even in these hotbeds of sports, it’s possible to find the fan that doesn’t really care about the sport. In a stadium of 100,000 plus, it’s not that hard to find. Some are in the stadium to stand and cheer, have a few drinks, and if the team wins, fantastic, they’ll have a fun party afterwards, say their share of Michigan jokes, and head home. But some of these fans can’t tell the difference in a defense between a cover 2 zone or man coverage. They complain when their quarterback gets sacked without looking to see if the offensive line did their job, or whether the receivers got open. All they care about, in the end, is school pride and the final score.

Are you a “final score Christian” or one who immerses himself/herself in the scripture, wanting to know everything you possibly can about the God you say you believe in? Would you read those articles about the team in April when the team isn’t actually playing the game, or simply read the headline and the lead, shrug your shoulders, and then move on with the rest of your life? Do you stand and cheer on Sundays, leave church or a weekly meeting feeling entertained, or challenged? Do you know the tune to the fight song and hymns but have no recollection of the words?

Jesus warns us in Matthew 7

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"

Team Jesus doesn't need more fans. It needs  more who are willing to pick up their cross, to regard what they once held dear lost, as literally trash, for the sake of Christ.

Team Jesus doesn't need more fans. It needs more followers.