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One of my favorite baseball movies is A League of Their Own starring Tom Hanks. In one famous scene Hank’s character tells one of his female baseball players to stop crying. The reason behind his command is that in baseball there is no crying. There may be a few emotional Cubs fans who disagree! Handling emotions can be quite difficult for coaches. We want our team to be on edge and ready for a big game, but when athletes or coaches cry or display personal weakness, they are often looked down upon. Does this mean that in sports and in other areas of life it is acceptable to exhibit only tough-guy emotions? No, because Jesus was not afraid to express emotion.
Coach Sleepy Thompson was one of those coaches that everyone wanted to play for. He not only knew how to win football games, but also how to develop young men. As my high school football coach, I remember him as an encourager—a coach that instilled life into his players. We walked a little taller as a result of his living out one of his favorite sayings, “Accentuate the positive.” A day would not go by without Coach Thompson reminding us of that principle. It was short and sweet and yielded powerful results. He stressed accentuating the positive at every practice and made it an essential characteristic of our team. He focused on the good in players instead of the bad; the future instead of the past. His words gave us purpose and meaning.
Jo Ellen Hornish has a love-hate relationship with auto racing. She’s been a huge fan of racing since her teenage years. It’s the part where her son Sam Hornish Jr. drives in one of those cars at speeds of 180 to 200miles per hour that she’s not crazy about. “She would have much rather I become a pastor,” Hornish Jr. says. “I’m pretty sure of that. There’s never been a time where she’s said, ‘Man, I’m glad he’s a racecar driver.’ But she knows that it makes me happy.”
Baltimore Orioles’ second baseman and leadoff hitter Brian Roberts knows what it means to trust the Lord amidst injury and trials. The 12-year Major League Baseball veteran has spent the last year battling through a myriad of injuries making him dig deep with his faith and trust the Lord with the results.
When asked what God has taught him through his experience battling injury, he explained how it has produced spiritual growth and ultimate trust in the Lord, “If we never went through trials we would never grow. If I just hit .300 every year and everything went smooth, I wouldn’t ever grow in my faith. I would never have to rely on Him or trust in Him for everything.”
Glory – it is such a simple word. It is what all of us play the game for. We want the glory associated with being an athlete. We want to be recognized for our skill. Who doesn’t want to win a championship this year? How many times have you put your goals for the season down and listed “To NOT be remembered”?
At first glance, we have it all messed up. We should not want to get the entire spotlight. We should want to be a team player. We should not want to be so focused that we “win at all costs.” It’s in the nature of a competitor to “go for it.” Shouldn’t we want to be that focused?
During a losing season or bad game, it’s easy to give up on each other. When a teammate breaks team rules, the question arises: Can we count on this player whose conduct or performance is below our team’s standards? When we blow it, will our teammates give up on us?
Peter made a lot of mistakes. He made claims he could not back up; did things without thinking of the consequences; talked when he should have listened; and lied, cried, and almost died because of his immaturity. But Jesus never gave up on him, and he became a world-changer.
The game is on the line; the next play can make or break the outcome. The quarterback drops back in the pocket and throws deep into the end zone. Many players jump for the ball, but the receiver comes down with it right by the line. Did he have his foot down in bounds? The line judge signals touchdown, but before the extra point is kicked, the referee waves his arms and says, "The previous play is under further review." Off he goes to find out what the decision will be.
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