Sportoholicism

I believe there are areas in Christianity today that are perfectly acceptable both in and out of the church—areas that most Christians see no problem with. Areas where the world has crept in and now have a foothold on many of us.

I want to focus on one area that both I think is very prevalent in the church, and one I have personally experienced and walked through. 

The year was 1976. That was the year the Seattle Seahawks came into existence and joined the National Football League (NFL). 

I grew up with a dad, and two older brothers (by 8 and 9 years) that were sports fanatics (Of course fanatic is where we get the word “fan”). It was a no-brainer that this 11-year-old boy, immersed with such role-models, would become indoctrinated into the addiction of Sportoholicism!

It wasn’t just the Seahawks, it became the NFL all day Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights. It was the NBA. It was a knowledge of every stat for my favorite players. It was football betting pools at work and with the family. I was all in. This addiction carried over into my marriage, where my wife was a football widow during the football season, where I would spend 6-7 hours every Sunday ignoring her and our children in addition to the 3+ hours on several weeknights. 

If my team won, I would be in a splendid mood. But beware, should my team lose…stay out of my way! I would be disgruntled the rest of the day. My wife would occasionally check my heart-rate during a game, and it was well accelerated because I was so passionate about my team! 

I remember getting a call from my brother one Sunday morning saying someone had given him some tickets to a Seahawks game at 1:00 that same day. You have to understand that at this time in history, getting Seahawks tickets was virtually impossible. I lived in Yakima, WA at the time. I made it from Yakima to Issaquah, WA, where I met my brother, in 90 minutes, (it is 126 miles to be exact. I’ll do the math for you, that’s an average speed of 84 MPH at a time when the speed limit was 55!). But that is what a crazed fanatic does. A chance to go and worship at the altar of the Kingdome (the stadium of the Seahawks at that time, funny how close the name is to Kingdom) Of course, I am going to do whatever it takes to make it by kickoff time. And make it I did.

I would spend three hours screaming for my team. No joke, I would have a hoarse voice for the next 2 days every time I went to a game! That is what a fanatic does! 

Who can tell me what significant event happened to the Seahawks in 2006? That was the first time the Seahawks went to the Superbowl.  

The Change

In 2005, the Lord convicted me to give up watching competitive sports altogether. I don’t know if it was a temptation from Satan, or a test from the Lord, but the 2005-2006 football season was the one in which the Seahawks made it to the Superbowl, and it was the same year I committed not to watch sports. For the past 30 years I had been a raving “fanatic” for my Seahawks, waiting for them to make the promised land, the Super Bowl.  

And now, having not watched football all season, I was faced with a dilemma. Would I obey what the Lord very clearly was showing me personally, and not watch the Superbowl, or would I give into my own lusts and desires and watch?

Well…what do you think I did? I watched. I hate to say it. I watched as the Seahawks were beaten by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I felt awful. And do you know what, I didn’t feel awful because the Seahawks lost, in fact, I couldn’t have cared less. I felt awful because I knew I had let my Lord and Savior down. I disobeyed Him, I sinned. I couldn’t serve two masters. 

And I look back now with regret. I cannot redeem the vast amounts of time that I wasted that could have been spent on my family and my walk with God. 

I wanted to give you a little background to let you know I have trod where some of you may be treading today. I was a raving sports fanatic. 

I am just going to come right out and say it, and here is where toes may be stepped on. A Christian should not be watching competitive sports, period.  

What morals are we learning from watching? We aren’t even going to talk about the rank commercials that come on during the breaks in the game, I don’t need to say more about that. What we do learn is we learn how to deceive, how to run plays to deceive the other team, deception. How to taunt others, to stand over them after you have leveled them to the ground, and give them that smirk of dominance. When we watch others strut around after a good play showing how great and awesome they are, it’s pride. We learn how to jump up and down, yell and scream and worship at the altar of the sporting gods and elevate the players to a place of divinity. 

I truly believe Jesus Christ would not watch competitive sports, period. His kingdom is one of putting others before ourselves, one of turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, praying for those that persecute you and on and on. None of those kingdom values even come close to fitting into what you see while watching the violence, brutality, and pride that modern competitive sports demonstrate. 

I suspect that there may be some that disagree with what I have just shared. Maybe you aren’t the “fanatic” I was. Maybe you are the casual observer, or the occasional partaker. My challenge to you is this, pray, and have the Lord show you if watching sports makes you a better man or women and if there might be a better use of our time. Does it draw you closer to Christ? That is the ultimate litmus test, does it promote your walk with God? If it doesn’t, cut off the hand and pluck out the eye that offends (please, don’t take me literally). In other words, do whatever it takes to rid ourselves of anything that is not pleasing to our Father in Heaven. 

I have been delivered from Sportoholicism, praise the Mighty Father! That Superbowl in 2006 was my final act. He broke me when I saw that I could not overcome in my own strength. He showed my self-centered heart, and it was pretty ugly. I praise Him for deliverance. I praise Him that I now have all this extra time to spend with Him and my family. That my mood is not dependent upon the outcome of some meaningless game. 

This article is one man’s journey.

There are two things I know about God, He is, and I’m not. I am not the Holy Spirit. I hope I have just given some of you something to contemplate.

I believe sports is an area that the Christian should really evaluate as to whether it should be a part of our life or not. 

May we each only do what is pleasing to God, and may He search us and reveal to us ALL things that need to be purged to make us His representative on this earth and fit for Heaven.

Blessings to each of you on your journey!

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Eric owns Armstrong Automotive and is a faithful Seventh-day Adventist.