NFP and Sports?

When our Executive Board decided to go with the topic of “NFP and Sports” for this newsletter, I was rather dubious, even if I may have even been the one to suggest the topic in the first place. (I can’t remember to be honest!) I seem to recall throwing the topic out there during a board meeting to see if it might stick like spaghetti on the ceiling. Well, it did stick and I can say that the topic has provided thought-provoking articles by a surfer and a soccer coach in this edition of our newsletter.

While my days of playing organized competitive team sports are pretty much over, I still enjoy being a sports fan. When it comes to following sports and being a parish priest, I have found that I can connect with many folks who like sports, but also with those who don’t follow sports at all. I am able to connect with sports fans and with those who don’t follow sports alike, because they can see the connection between the commitment it takes to be a good athlete and the kind of effort that is needed to grow in the spiritual life. As a homilist, I may refer to sports to connect with parishioners because sports have become such a huge part of our American culture, for better or for worse. But, also, I refer to sports because they can teach us something about what it means to live rightly in this world and prepare to live eternally in the next. This is not an original homiletic strategy. None other than St. Paul used it more than once. To give one example, recall what St. Paul wrote to his good friend and collaborator, St. Timothy: “I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7)

To be sure, there are the obvious qualities of being a good athlete that come to mind: the commitment to staying in good physical shape, the willingness to spend long hours in training and practicing one’s skills, the sacrifices made to continue to improve and the healthy fostering of one’s competitive disposition, to name a few. To be a good athlete, you have to follow rules, not just the rules of the sport in which you are competing, but also the “rules” of your body. An athlete has to “listen” to one’s body and has to teach one’s body to do new things. Think of a fastball pitcher trying to learn to throw a curve. Still, as a fan, I have to say that there are other qualities of the professional athletes that I find myself being attracted to. These are qualities that are not always as evident perhaps. Here I am thinking of humility, good sportsmanship, magnanimity and joy. So, yes, I confess, I will take a Lou Gehrig, a Cal Ripken or a Darren Ruff, for that matter, any day over….well, not to throw anybody under the bus…..but over any player who seems to crave drawing attention to himself or herself through his or her actions on the field or the court. (Yes, I realize to each his own, but no, I am not a fan of bat throwing after a homerun and silly celebrations after a touchdown.)

So, where am I going with all this? I think you can see. While there are certainly differences between sports and NFP, there are some elements that NFP folks could teach athletes and vice versa, such as those mentioned above: commitment, humility, joy, practice and magnanimity. Still, when it’s all said and done, the best “NFL-er” and the best “NFP-er” do what they do for a higher purpose, for the greater honor and glory of God. Yes, being a priest and a “professional preacher”, you can imagine I’m going to propose this. But, in the end, what else is there? We want to be able to say with St. Paul: “I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”