Win At All Cost

Athletics today supports the win at all cost mentality. From steroids to spygate, athletes and coaches have lost sight of any kind of authority. In the pros, they are the ones who are making millions and believe that the rules don’t apply to them. In college, they are the ones just trying to make a name for themselves and get to the next level. In high school, and below they are the ones who are trying anything to feel loved by parents and those around them. Whatever the level, cheating isn’t pleasing to God.

Why is it that when a teacher/coach is in the classroom they will punish any method of cheating that a student may use on a test but when they are out on the practice field they will teach their players useful techniques to “bend the rules” without having the referee catch it? The answer; sports isn’t seen as a reality of life. It is almost as if sports are an imaginary world and the rules of life don’t apply at that time.

I must admit that I too have been guilty over the years. Sports have trained me at being a master of jersey grabbing, forearm throwing, and toe stomping. So what is wrong with this anyway? It’s all just part of the game, right?

Romans 13:1-2, has this to say about the matter. “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

Sports have a level of authority set up by the rules of the game. Believe it or not athletics are a part of real life. We are called to have a heart that hates cheating because cheating is sin.

Brian Conklin
Omaha Area FCA