Things we worship

It's always easier to point out other people's idols than

to repent of our own.

I say that first because I love college sports (from a fan perspective) as much as anyone I know.  It's entertaining without some of the jaded "standardization" that comes with professionalism. It's still connected (enough) with the world of education that it feels like an extension of what I do as a classroom teacher. It entertains in dozens of different ways, and it provides safe fields of combat for the warrior nature that is latent within most of us.    

Nevertheless, it took Pasor Ed referring to sports as idolatry in his sermon this past Sunday to get me to look through a different perspective. No matter how you look at college sports, it has become a religion for most of its adherents:  sportscasters who study the stats and playbooks more assiduously than the Council of Nicea or the Westminster divines studied the original autographs of scipture;  the millions of dollars expended in both direct expenses (uniforms, stadia, scholarships) and indirect (travel, fan gear, media, etc.);  the stature and weight given to the utterances of these (often poorly educated) inexperienced young men and women.  

I will still watch and enjoy college sports.  But I will add my voice to those who are correcty identifying  sports fandom as immature and time-wasting even at the best of times, and sheer and absolute idol worship at the worst.