What role do sports play in your life? Are you a casual fan or a fanatical supporter?
Former NFL player and Pastor of Transformation Church Derwin Gray discusses America’s idolatry of sports. Are you a part of the problem?
According to Derwin, sometimes fans care more about the game then the players do, but not in a good way.
“As an NFL player, I’m very competitive, but when the game is over, we’re done. Whereas, fans on Twitter and other social media, they take it way more seriously than players do and it’s unhealthy.”
In Derwin’s eyes, fantasy football and other games encourage people to pour even more time and energy into sports and increases the likelihood of sports becoming an idol.
“I think fantasy football and the daily stuff is just a new form of gambling and it’s dangerous.”
It’s not a bad thing to support a team and even go to a game once and a while and cheer.
“I love when fans cheer, but we really have to be careful not to find our identity in a football team.”
How do you know if you are idolizing a sports team?
One of the sure-fire ways you can discern if you idolize sports is by seeing how your support of a team impacts the rest of your life.
“I love the game, but if my team wins or loses, it doesn’t ruin my day.”
If the fact that your team won or lost a game determines your attitude toward the rest of life, you have almost certainly moved into idolatry.
In addition, if you find yourself planning your life around sports or making decisions based on when sporting events occur, you are probably idolizing your team.
