Why America Needs Sports Right Now

Sportsmanship Prepares for Citizenship

That may seem like a strange title coming from a pastor, so let me clarify. I believe America needs Jesus infinitely more than sports. And I believe that sports can become idolatrous and interfere with the most basic spiritual discipline of faithful church attendance. But I also believe that sports are a gift of God’s common grace for our enjoyment and good. Like all good gifts, it can be abused, but a a gift nonetheless.

Who Invented Basketball?

In the aftermath of the election on Tuesday, few Americans noticed that James Naismith’s birthday was yesterday. Born on November 6, 1861, Naismith’s claim to fame is that he invented the game of basketball. As a devoted follower of Jesus, his aim was to cultivate a “muscular Christianity” among young men in his generation. While teaching and coaching in Springfield, Massachusetts during a particularly severe blizzard, Naismith looked for a way to provide vigorous exercise for his students indoors. To make a long story short, he nailed two peach baskets at the ends of the gymnasium, came up with 13 rules, and let the boys go at it. Following Naismith’s example, countless Christian coaches like my good friend Tommy Kyle, have used basketball to cultivate “muscular Christianity” ever since.

What I Learned From Sports

As a boy I played baseball, basketball, and football. As far as my friends and I knew, soccer was something they did in other countries. Now that I have a granddaughter on a soccer team, I’ve suddenly taken an interest.

The only thing that kept me from playing sports at the college and professional levels was an utter lack of talent and ability. Other than that I think I could have done well. But I loved to play and I still love to compete. Anyway, my boyhood memories are of me in the company of grown men who coached us boys and drilled us not only in the fundamental skills required of athletes, but on the character traits of a sportsman.

James Naismith believed sports could be used to teach young men Christian principles and set out to “win men to the Master through the gym.” He also knew that character mattered, writing in 1932 that:

“The best definition of character…is that combination of reflexes within me which determine how I shall act under unforeseen circumstances. The reflexes you build on the floor are going to become part of your character.”

Of the many things I learned in sports, three stick out. Play by the rules, be gracious in defeat, be humble in victory. That’s why every game ended with both teams on the court or field, shaking hands and exchanging those time-tested words, “Good game.”

[Warning: What follows is really old-school.]

Play By The Rules

No normal person plays sports to lose. Winning is so much more fun. But losing with honor is better than winning as a cheat. Every player is responsible to know and follow rules. No one gets special treatment. You aren’t special or above the rules. If you break those rules, there’s a penalty to pay, whether five yards or a free throw, and your whole team will suffer. Accept the penalty. Respect the game. Without rules and referees to enforce them, the game would end up being a colossal waste of everyone’s time and a dangerous one at that.

Be Gracious in Defeat

Respect your opponent. If you lose, take it like a man. Don’t blame it on the refs, the coaches, your teammates, or the weather. You weren’t good enough that day. Own it. Get better. Congratulate the victor. Don’t accuse your opponent of cheating unless you have indisputable evidence. Don’t diminish their achievement. See every defeat as a lesson learned. Don’t be a crybaby.

Be Humble in Victory

Respect your opponent. If you win, don’t gloat. Don’t kick a man when he’s down. Good natured ribbing is part of friendly competition, but don’t insult or brag or take credit that belongs to your teammates. Praise the skill of other players. Publicly give thanks for the people who got you where you are. Let your performance do your talking. “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth” (Prov. 27:2).

What I didn’t know then, but see clearly now, is that those men on those fields and courts were preparing us to be men as well. Being a good sport is just part of being an adult.

Sportsmanship, Citizenship, and Statesmanship

Politics has always been like a sport to me. Parties and candidates compete for votes. Game plans are developed, statistics are calculated, scores are kept. The one with the most electoral college votes wins. If everyone plays by the rules of common decency and the law set out in the Constitution, it will go well for our nation because our system of government is brilliant. If everyone acts like adults, we might survive our massive national trials.

Shaking hands at the end of this game doesn’t mean we sacrifice our principles (and mine are unapologetically conservative), but it does mean that both parties must check the rhetoric, discipline their speech, consider the common good, and put the country over their party while forging bipartisan solutions.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have a remarkable opportunity in this fragile window between now and January 20, 2025. This great nation of ours is bitterly divided and dangerously polarized. Vice-President Harris’s task is to be gracious in defeat, concede President Trump’s victory, and assist a feeble lame duck President in making the transfer of power as peaceful and seamless as possible.

President Trump’s task is to be humble in victory, congratulating VP Harris on mounting a strong campaign at the last minute, and being conciliatory in his public remarks. If he can respectfully reach out to VP Harris’s supporters he might persuade them to work with him in crafting wise policies. Our nation’s enemies, who want us divided and hating one another, would delight if either of them failed. I am praying for both of them.

Naismith’s Last Words

James Naismith’s book, Basketball: It’s Origins and Development, was published two years after his death. It closes with these parting words:

“Let us all be able to lose gracefully and to win courteously; to accept criticism as well as praise, and to appreciate the attitude of the other fellow at all times.”

There’s a lot to consider here for the consequential sport of American politics. But for now, I think it would do my soul well to tune out the news and social media for the next few weeks and concentrate on college football and deer season.

Though we don’t deserve it, may God bless America. I have some precious grandchildren who will be living here for a while.