Most people who know me, know that I think sports is somewhat fixed, but beyond that what have we created in these men and women?
If you are thinking what in the world are you talking about, I will get to it. This mostly has to do with the Super Bowl, but it can be applied to all sports.
I use to coach different sports: baseball, soccer, basketball, football. For each one of these sports we expect our athletes to not only win with grace, but to lose with grace.
When I say win with grace, I mean no celebrating after scoring, no rubbing it in the opponents face, no running up the score when you know you are going to win, etc. That is a sign of professionalism and in all sports it used to be not tolerated. Could you imagine if after every basket the other team did a 30 second cheer and dance or after you got a run, you danced around home plate for a minute or so. Most would think that is stupid so why is it accepted in football?
I do not think Cam Newton is that great of a quarterback and I really do not care for his antics after he scores. I do believe that he has the potential to be a very good quarterback because he is very athletic, but unless he changes as a leader on the field , my personal opinion is that the Carolina Panthers are always going to fail. He needs to be a leader, not some hot dog that is super flashy to set a bad image for all those young athletes that look up to him. If a player including himself makes a mistake, they need to acknowledge their mistake and move on. If I appear to be judging, my apologies that is not my intent. I am just expressing what I have observed from this man over the course of his time in the NFL.
I saw the post game interview and I was very disappointed in his behavior. No one, not even us who are not super athletic like to lose. Anyone that tells you different is either lying to us or themselves or they are on some kind of medication. He should have accepted the loss with grace and sat there for his 3 minutes and answered the dumbest of questions the media likes to ask such as how does it feel to lose the Super Bowl after being nominated the leagues MVP. I did not hear that kind of question, but honestly that is some of the things they are like to ask.
I am not a Tom Brady fan either because I unlike others think he is a mediocre quarterback, plus I think the NFL felt sorry for the franchise after that humiliating loss to the Chicago Bears (sorry that was mean). When he does not have his favorite receiver in the game, it has been shown over and over that he fails and leads the team to a loss. I have seen him yell at other players on the field instead of taking responsibility for the decision to throw the ball so far over someones head that there was no way the receiver was going to catch the ball. Is there the potential for mistakes to be made, of course, but there is no reason to yell at your teammates. A leader can talk to the other people in a calm voice so they both know what happened. Again, if I appear to be judging, my apologies that is not my intent. I am just expressing what I have observed from this man over the course of his time in the NFL.
I called those two players out, but honestly it can go towards anyone. Think of that CEO who is above the law, or thinks he is so they can treat their employees like they are scum or misuse company money such as those that worked for Adelphia. Or think of that community leader who does things that only benefit themselves at the cost of the community such as the Mayor, Police Chief, and Town Council members in the City of Bell.
Can people change, of course, but only if they want too. The decision to remain as they are or change is theirs and theirs alone. I poked some jabs at Cam Newton and Tom Brady, but I do not think they are bad people although it may read that way. I do think that their competitive nature takes over and what is observed is them at their worst at times. Remember, this is just my opinion based on what I observed. It is possible that I am skewed so do your own investigation and analysis, and then come up with your own conclusions.
For remember this:
Ephesians 6:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I pray that those that wish to change are able to do so. I pray that we realize those we hold in the spot light are human and will make mistakes just like we will. I also pray that we are able to understand that our fight is not with Bosses, Mayors, Police, Town Council, Athletes, etc., but is against the Devil and His demons and that their influence is overcome by reading the scripture and asking God for wisdom to understand. In Jesus name I pray for this, Amen.