Image: Ostill / Shutterstock Creative Commons
The Religion News Service headline "What's God got to do with football devotion? Plenty" prods me to sight sports this week.
During the 63 years that I have lived in Chicago, I have attended one Hawks, one Cubs, one Bears (exhibition), two Sox, and one Bulls game -- weak credentials for writing about professional athletics. But I have watched TV, of course, and converse. Still, to make up for lost time, I'll touch on two sports topics of the week. (But first, goodbye to good Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, who died last Friday at age 83.)
One topic is the main ethical debate around professional football's "Deflategate" and whether quarterback Tom Brady and/or other New England Patriots are cheating and lying, both no-nos in some sports circles. The issue breeds cynicism: Almost every non-Patriot commentator assumes the worst.
If there was cheating, why did the best quarterback and best-record coach and their team "need to cheat," asked columnist Joseph Epstein. He wrote that the only answer is the obvious counter-question: "Why not?" Asked the same question, Don Ohlmeyer, TV sports producer, replied, "If your question is about sports, the answer is money."
Religious ethicists who talk about materialism, priorities, etc., assume that the National Football League owners and the league as a whole are given to excess. We know that a qualifying case can be made. Many coaches, players, and supporters can point to the positives of religion and the part it plays in forming "good kids," promoting morale and team work. All that awaits discussion in some other week.
The second topic is a constant: the morality of supporting football, a sport that all agree wreaks devastation on brains and condemns many players to diminished brain functioning, premature dementia, and the like. It raises an issue that deflates the importance of the "Who deflated footballs?" question.
The comment that zinged soul and conscience came when Mike Ditka, Mr. Bear himself, said that if he had an 8-year-old son, he would not let him play football. "I think the risk is not worth the reward," he said on his TV show.
Local sportswriter Rick Telander, along that line, reflected on one team among many, the Chicago Bears. He notes the early death of hero Walter Payton; the suicide of Dave Duerson; Superbowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon, who is fading and thinks of suicide; huge William "The Refrigerator" Perry; linebacker Wilber Marshall; and Richard Dent, who fears early-onset dementia from concussions, saying, "S***, I'm scared," and, with so many others, survives on medication.
Writes Telander, "How they entertained us. How they achieved the heights. At such a cost." To them? And to us who watch, support and often idolize them?
I've been reading what early Christian moralists began to think and say as they faced the question of what gladiatorial combat did to fighters and their watchers. We won't find perfect analogies, but there are some cautions in that "slave" context to inspire some questioning about what "we" do to bodies and souls, made -- many faiths say, as in biblical terms -- "in the image of God."
Tatian said circa 165, "You purchase men to supply a cannibal banquet for the soul." Theophilus said circa 168, on forbidding believers from watching lethal combat, "[For with Christians,] self-restraint is practiced ... righteousness exercised, law administered, worship performed, God acknowledged. Truth governs, grace guards, peace screens them.... God reigns."
There is more, but "I gotta go." It's almost game time.
This post originally appeared in Sightings, an online publication of the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Note that this post is not available for republication without the consent of Sightings. Please contact Managing Editor Myriam Renaud at DivSightings@gmail.com.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.