As you can gather from my profile picture, I'm a Detroit Tigers fan. Last October they broke my heart. After leading the American League Central Division for most of the season they sputtered at the end, finishing in a first place tie which was then lost in a dramatic 12-inning duel with the Minnesota Twins.
Yet a much greater tragedy emerged from the final weekend of the season, when the Tigers lost two out of three to the White Sox to leave the door open for the Twins. Our slugging first baseman, Miguel Cabrera, went hitless in that crucial series, and we learned of a greater trouble he faced. Police were called to his home that weekend because an intoxicated Cabrera and his wife had physically fought. He admitted to being an alcoholic, and immediately entered a treatment program which so far has yielded promising results.
I recently read this statement from Cabrera that broke my heart more than losing the division title: "I know it will take awhile (for the fans to forgive me), but I won't let them down again."
If it's going to take awhile for fans to forgive him, that's the real heart-breaker. If that's the case, then perhaps we as fans need to examine our hearts to evaluate what kind of "love" we have for the players we cheer for.
Yes Miguel, you let us down on the ball field. We'll get over it. Your well being and that of your family is infinitely more important. You are not a hitting and fielding machine whose sole reason for existing is to perform for the entertainment of others. You are a child of God made in his image and likeness, fighting an addiction that keeps the image from shining as brightly as it can.
There is nothing to forgive as far as baseball is concerned--just get better. As much as we love sports, we love our fellow man even more. If you can beat the forces seeking to drag you down and strive to be the man God made you to be, you'll be a winner. And we'll cheer for you all the way.
For sports to be an effective forum for evangelization we must counter the utilitarian view of athletes, the one that sees them only as instruments for our pleasure and amusement--and thus fair targets for our frustration and anger. (Comments posted to most sports blogs about struggling athletes vividly illustrate man's inhumanity to man.) How can we see God's presence in sports--and its tremendous potential for ministry--if we don't uphold the basic human dignity of all its participants?
This goes beyond how we treat professional athletes--it speaks to how we treat our kids as they strive to integrate the constructive aspects of sports into the greater fabric of their lives. If a child's participation in sports does not positively form their whole person, treating them instead like a glorified video game, it's not only a waste of time--it's an unconscionable injustice.
May all who love God and love sports work to make this holy connection known and realized at all levels of athletics. And may we always love unconditionally--win, lose or draw.
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