Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.~1 Corinthians 10:14 NIV
You shall have no other gods before[a] me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.~Exodus 20:3-6 NIV
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;~Romans 3:23 KJV
Sports can be medicine, but they can also devastate someone’s life. On one hand, sports can motivate society to change, to learn to evolve and grow. Then, there is the other hand where sports cause some to believe they are so powerful over others they become seduced into thinking nothing can happen to them for crossing the line.
It happens in professional, college and high school sports. It happens in Little League sports. We see the scandals in the papers and ask how did this happen. . . . the University of North Carolina’s academic scandal, the point shaving scandal in men’s college basketball during the 1970s (BCU), the betting on professional baseball by Pete Rose, receiving improper gifts (Marcus Camby – UMASS), the rampant performance enhancement drugs scandals in the NFL, tennis and the Olympics.
But these scandals are not just caused by the players. Scandals are also created by the administrators of sports organizations, universities, sports agencies, coaches and owners. Just take a look at Jim Irsay (alcohol), Michigan State University regarding Larry Nassar (sexual assault on over a hundred female athletes), The Ohio State University regarding ex-coach Zach Smith (football – domestic violence) and ex-coach William Bohonyi (diving – sexual assault), Jerry Jones (stance against anthem protest), Donald Sterling (NBA-racist rant), FIFA (collusion/racketeering), U.S. Soccer (equal pay), U.S. Olympic Committee (child endangerment), Brian Z. France, the CEO of NASCAR (drugs), both the NFL and NHL (concussion/CTE dangers) and the list goes on. Then, there are sports agents infractions like Lloyd Lake, Tank Black and Terry Watson for improper gifts and handling of affairs.
Society seems to be amazed that these things are going on, but where is society when it comes to the checks and balances of our sports organizations? If we place such a high value on these programs and organizations, then shouldn’t we be making sure those organizations are holding our values and are acting in an ethical manner? Instead, it is as though we are absorb into our individual religions of sport and lay down the tithes undeserving to programs, clubs and leagues who mock what we say we truly believe.
We say we believe in keeping children safe, but we are not making sure our college students and youth are protected by pedophiles, rapists and bad coaches. We become disgusted by athletes who use P.E.D.s to provide us the entertainment we seek every Saturday and Sunday, but merely tap on the wrist owners and sports administrators who are caught using drugs. A good chunk of us become angry at athletes using their God-given platform (talent is God-given) to help us evolve, but say little to nothing when athletes are blacklisted (Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick) by owners or owners have the audacity to enslave athletes’ freedoms of protest and speech.
In a female examination by male doctor in gynecology, there is always a female nurse attending as well. So, why don’t we do that in sports? Why aren’t there female coaches as well as male coaches for both male and female programs to prevent sexual assaults or pressure by coaches? Why aren’t there mandatory alcohol and drug testing and courses for athletes, coaches and administrators at all levels administered more frequently? Or, maybe we should stop stressing drug enforcement of athletes so athletes like Maria Sharapova and Ryan Lochte are penalized for insane reasons.
Sports is medicine, but sometimes medicine goes bad and you have to go the pharmacy to pick up a fresh prescription. Maybe, it is time to get a fresh prescription for how we handle the scandals in sports. Or, better yet, maybe it is time for us to step in before there is a scandal in sports . . . maybe we can help each other get and stay healthy.
