The day of Tuesday, June 29, ended horribly. I went to sleep in a very down mood. I began to reflect on the past and everything that had led up to that night and wondered if the journey was really worth it. Would all be well in the end?
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut, kicked my puppy, and spat on my family all at once. The feelings of sorrow and uncertainty dominated my emotions.
What happened to bring upon this cloud of darkness?
Giannis Antetokounmpo, power forward of the Milwaukee Bucks (Wisconsin’s NBA basketball team for those who aren’t aware we have one), two-time league MVP, former defensive player of the year, multiple-time all-star, etc., etc. went down with what appeared to be a severe knee injury just as the Bucks were two wins away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.
With the “Greek Freak” going down with what looked like a series-ending, potentially season-ending, and maybe career-altering injury, Bucks fans like myself — who have been suffering for years — felt like we’d come so close and so far and it was all for naught.
The future of the franchise was questionable at best, along with Giannis’s injury status.
Yes, a nearly seven-foot-tall, 26-year-old, highly-talented athlete whom I never met and probably never will, got an owwie and it ruined my day.
I either have major first-world problems or my priorities are off-kilter.
Time for sports? Time for God?
On a typical game day, I’ll spend two-and-half to three hours watching a game, be it a Packers, Brewers, Badgers, or Bucks game.
If those games happen to be on a Saturday or Sunday, those minutes will greatly out-number the amount of time spent at Mass — about an hour. Even less on days when I get to daily Mass.
So, I spend more time yelling at the TV and thinking my extemporaneous analysis spoken to whomever happens to be next to me at the time is of some importance versus worshiping God in the highest form of prayer there is.
And I also let a game’s outcome affect my mood.
Huh.
I don’t think I’m the only one who has this problem.
Can you imagine if we spent the same amount of time in some sort of pre-Mass and post-Mass analysis, highlights, and commentary as we put in for the pre-game and post-game sports variety?
What if we checked EWTN as much or more than we check ESPN for “the latest”?
I suppose tailgating outside Mass in the parking lot isn’t appropriate, but what if we could come up with a liturgical equivalent of that?
We wear the colors for games, do we wear the right “colors” for Mass?
What is really important here?
Can these two things — our faith and our sports fandom — exist together?
If sports is a distant second for you compared to your faith, God bless you, and pray for those who need help with that.
Play ‘all 60 minutes’
Here’s a goal for all of us. Let’s say the average sporting event is 2.5 hours. Find something to do, faith-wise, that lasts that long.
If you want to include Sunday Mass, that’s an hour right there.
How can we give 90 more minutes to God? How about a Rosary? That’s about 15 minutes.
Read the Bible: 15 more minutes.
Alright, one more hour to go, what a lovely attitude to have.
How about 30 minutes of silent prayer? Eesh, that’s a lot. Either at home, in church, at an Adoration chapel, or maybe outside somewhere nice.
Thirty more minutes to go. You pick. A good spiritual book, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or more silence. There we go — 2.5 hours.
Does this all sound like a lot? Maybe. But you’ll be an active participant in God’s “regular season” here on Earth.
And, each “win” gets us closer to the ultimate prize — not the Lombardi Trophy or the Stanley Cup — but eternal life in His Kingdom.
Be a fan, but be a child of God first.