My Daddy was an avid sports fan. He listened to baseball and football on the radio and then later watched on television. He passed along his sports interest to my three brothers: Lee Roy, Leonard, and Lew. But something short-circuited with me, his second son.
Though I have consulted neither my General Medical Practitioner nor an Athletic Trainer for a scientific diagnosis, I have studied the evidence and determined on my own that I was born with a Defective Sports Gene, commonly known in athletic circles as DSG Syndrome.
In our growing-up years, my sisters and brothers and I spent the fall months in the cotton fields of West Texas instead of in the halls of learning. So, Lee Roy, my older brother, and Leonard, my younger brother, did not "come out for football," although they longed for the chance.
By the time Lew entered the world, Leonard (the baby of the family until then) was nearly thirteen. So, for all practical purposes, Lew grew an only child. He did play high school football, with Daddy's enthusiastic support.
My active interest in sports withered and died in grade school when I realized I would always be the last chosen at recess when two jock-to-be types chose sides for the prevailing seasonal sport.
I went to football games in high school and college and in my early years in the "real world." Then I woke up one day and realized I went because it seemed expected -- the thing to do.
It's been thirty-five years since I've been in a stadium.
The last game I went to, Pansy and our boys and I lived in Waco, Texas, and I went to a Baylor game with my dear older brother-in-law Jeff who had an extra ticket.
I don't know who won. I don't remember the Bears' opponents. My only clear memory of the afternoon is the moment when I stood with Baylor fans as they sang "That Good Old Baylor Line" and stretched out their arms with their fingers curled to represent Bear claws.
These days, as orange athletic supporters go ga-ga over bowl games and trips to Phoenix, I'm sure I'm missing something. But I have no idea what it is. Or maybe I do.
I've often heard it said that football is a religion. I've often said "Amen" to that. But now I have proof positive:
Coach Swinney will soon be canonized Saint Dabo as he gives glory to God for his win over the Oklahoma boys. I'm not sure where this leaves the coach from the Southwest. Is he less than favored in the eyes of the Almighty because his boys lost? Is Dab more holy than his 2015 competitor as God gave "us" the victory?
After the Orange Bowl, a fan told me, "I'm on a spiritual high after that game!" I looked my friend in the eye and scratched my head as I asked, "Really?" He probably thought my head-scratching was a sign of dandruff.
Then there was the sports writer's Facebook post, quoting from the "love chapter," First Corinthians 13, in tribute to The Coach with God's Blessing.
Does God give wins to His (or Her) favored teams?
Does God give a good care about which team of rowdies scores more points?
Will the coach and the guys up the road in Tigertown be better Christians after a winning season?
Will they be even better Christians when they are crowned National Champions?
Will "we" be better Christians because "we" won?
Many of my friends -- or former friends -- are sadly shaking their heads . . . if they've read this far: Poor Lawrence. We knew he'd flipped. We just didn't realize the extent of his DSG Syndrome.
4 comments:
I've had the symptoms for quite some time but now have a diagnosis. Thank you Dr. Webb. No treatment necessary - your humor, truth, and profundity assure me this is not fatal.
Thank you, Mike, for your diagnosis of yourself and of me.
Why would you even consider the thought or even question the comments made by Dabo when "giving God the glory?"
It reminds me of a conversation I overheard years ago by a CEO and his VP. The VP told the CEO he was handing in his notice because he had accepted another job with another company that aligned him with the goals he had set for his life and family life. He went on to say the decision wasn't easy because he enjoyed working with him and the company. He said he had prayed really hard about the decision prior to making it and felt the timing was right.
The CEO said, "well, I prayed last night and asked God to help me turn this company around, and now you tell me you prayed to get that job when I need you to stay here and help me? Why would God answer your prayer above my own?" It was a year later before the CEO realized God had answered both prayers, just not the way the CEO preferred it.
I was as shocked about your comments as I was then about the CEO's
As a Christian, of course we give God the glory and the credit for what he does in our lives regardless of whether we win or lose.
That goes for Clemson football! Dabo praying, saying outloud "thank you God," and giving him the glory rather than accepting it himself
Is exactly what we as Christians should do, used to do, and need to do again!
The other team's mindset is on their own game. Surely they are not sitting in the locker room talking about Dabo or anyone else praying to win the game, or saying "why would God help them win and not us....saying Dabo don't have a direct line to God...Etc. etc etc. so I don't think you have to be concerned as to what they think or why! That's personal. Dabo has a personal relationship with God! If they win he gives God the glory. If they lose he gives God the glory over them, thanks him for getting them there safely, thanking him for the lessons of humility they learned during the game. You see? They are always winners! Because anyone can have a relationship with God, and it's when they give him the glory, he gives back to them lessons learned, patience taught, how to respect and be respected.
It's not what the other team's coach or other people or other bloggers think when Dabo mention's his God.....because those same people have the same God available to them. If their relationship with God is as personal as Dabo's they "get it" and their concentration is on their team, their game, and God will bless them too!
The Clemson Tigers won, make no mistake about it! They didn't win the game, but God blessed them to the end. They didn't quit playing to win until the game was over. They were "all in until the end." They were a team of one! They were great examples for our youth! They felt pride! They felt good about the team.
Clemson is a great team this year because of, yes, God! They didn't win the game because they were out-coached, out-played, or it just wasn't meant to be. It's our free will and the decisions we each make with that gift as to whether we win or lose. Those young men and their coach used their free will to the best of their ability and they called on God to guide them. He did, and they gave him the glory!
So please don't confuse people with your concerns about the players or Coach Dabo upsetting others over their comments based on their Faith! Or worry about how it makes others feel to hear him praise God! Christians understand it, they get it, it's a personal relationship and anyone can chose it. God is good! He allowed two awesome teams to come together and compete, with both walking away feeling good about how they played...."THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS" WHEN YOU SAY YOU GIVE GOD THE GLORY.
I think too much thought is put into whether a comment or statement is politically correct and we often lose the softness, the tenderness, the sweetness of the message because it makes us feel! No one wants to feel anymore. It seems like they want to dissect the words and change the meaning of the message to black and white...because if it's gray, we have to feel something.
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