The Thin Line Between Distraction and Denial

The country of Yemen, a haven for Al Qaeda terrorists, is now devolving into chaos, further destabilizing the region and increasing the threat of global terrorism.

Newly-released data shows that, while the American economy is recovering at a brisk pace, the middle class is shrinking at an alarming rate. Income inequality is at record levels, threatening long-term stability.

The Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots are embroiled in controversy over “ball-gate,” the illegal deflation of game-time footballs in order to make them easier to grasp in cold weather.

Remember the Sesame Street song that goes, “Which of these things is not like the others? One of these things just doesn’t belong”?

I’ll add another question: which of these matters is currently garnering the most attention from the American public?

We’re approaching our nation’s unofficial national holiday, Super Bowl Sunday, which is as much about parties and TV commercials as it is about football, but it also illustrates the incredible hold that big-time sports exercises over the public imagination. This isn’t just an American phenomenon. In much of the rest of the world, Soccer is the reigning obsession.

Sports provide a distraction from life’s stresses and challenges. Rooting for a team is also cathartic, allowing us to release our emotions without being ridiculed. The cheers and jeers over these mock battles allow us to express the joys and frustrations we feel over other more important matters but don’t feel comfortable exhibiting.

So sports serve a purpose in society. But the line is thin between healthy distraction and unhealthy denial. When following sports really does become THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of one’s life, it is no longer an outlet or diversion. It is the organizing principle. It also becomes an excuse to deny what really matters. Early in the 2014 NFL season, Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice was caught on video beating his wife. Before long, similar behavior was uncovered in the lives of other players – abuse toward both spouses and children. It appeared for a little while that these revelations might lead to a good public discussion about how a violent sport can – not that it necessarily does, but it can – foster a violent culture, and whether our love of sports has blinded us to its darker side. But that never really happened. The NFL tightened its rules in order to protect its image, but the league enjoyed its highest viewer ratings ever. In the main, the public was not prepared to boycott games in order to effect a change in the NFL’s ethos.

Am I making trouble where none exists? Do people truly lose so much perspective that the battles on the football field, basketball court, or baseball diamond are no longer distinguishable from the world’s critical struggles for dignity, justice, and peace? A fraction of the most zealous sports fanatics probably do. And an equally tiny fraction of people simply have no interest in sports and don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Most of us are in the middle – cheering for our favorite teams, following the drama of their seasons and even adjusting our calendars so as to avoid conflicts with their schedules. We understand intellectually that it’s only entertainment, yet we sometimes catch ourselves becoming too personally invested in what ultimately has no bearing on the state of the Union or the world.

I don’t apologize for enjoying the NFL, and I’ll be watching the Super Bowl next week. And whoever is found to have broken the rules in order to give the Patriots an edge (as if they needed it!) should suffer appropriate consequences. But I’m troubled at how “ball-gate” seems to have generated more outrage among some than revelations of widespread physical abuse did last fall. So you get exorcised about behavior that might affect the outcome of a game. You loudly cry “foul” when one team gets an unfair advantage over another. But where is the moral outrage when human beings are beaten and deprived of their dignity? And can you channel that same passion toward promoting a more just and peaceful world?

Ancient philosophers and biblical writers often pointed to sports as metaphors of the spiritual life. The Apostle Paul compared spiritual discipline to the training of an Olympic athlete. He described faithfulness to Christ as running an Olympic race, straining for the goal marker, hearing one’s name called from atop the stadium, and being presented with a grass crown. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews implored early followers of Christ to “run with perseverance the race set before us.” These early church leaders regarded sports as a metaphor of life. But when the metaphor becomes our entire reality, we’re going nowhere.

©2015 by J. Mark Lawson

Comments

[Dave Rosenfeld]

Our priorities are totally out of whack. Life is supposed to be simple. If we treat others as we want to be treated, then loving God with everything we have is fulfilled. One washes the other. With the government putting fear on our plates, we add fuel to the fire outside our borders where we have no control. We lose perspective on what really matters right here around us. We have enough problems inside our borders to deal with. The smoke screen of "deflate-gate" and these reality series on TV leaves one to wonder - have we lost our identity and can't find our way home? We really need a "GPS" and listen to the "Voice" to find the correct path we need to be on.