A Message from the Church of Basketball

“Better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:11)

Maybe the hardwood isn’t what the Psalmist had in mind, but God does have a lot to teach us between the baselines.

Consider the case of Ben Wallace. The Detroit Pistons signed their former center this season primarily to add veteran leadership to a young roster. As far as playing time he was signed to back up starter Kwame Brown. Yet during a victory over Philadelphia earlier this season, head coach John Keuster saw how much Wallace could still contribute on the floor. “I knew Ben was going to be an asset this season because he’d be able to teach our bigs,” Keuster said. “I never imagined he could have this kind of impact on the court.”

His comment was about a game in which Wallace scored two points.

So what was his great impact? An astounding sixteen rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots. Big Ben’s aggressive rebounding and defense combined with Detroit’s more productive scorers to put the Sixers on ice.

There’s a pretty good spiritual lesson here. How many kids playing basketball dream about grabbing rebounds, making assists, setting picks, or finding an open teammate? About as many who dream of extra math homework. Their focus, of course, is more on double-digit point totals, making the far-away jumper at the buzzer, and dazzling offensive moves. Yet as Ben Wallace proves, a player who scores only two points can be just as valuable—or maybe even more so—than double-digit shooters if he can learn to rebound, defend and perform all the other less glamorous tasks needed to win.

Former Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps observes that while a certain amount of skill is required to play offense, only heart and determination are needed to be a good defensive player. Regardless of natural talent, anyone with desire can excel at defense, which is a crucial component of the game.

If St. Paul were coaching basketball, he might paraphrase his first letter to the Corinthians:

“A team is not a single player or effort, but many. If an aggressive defender should say, ‘Because I am not a proficient scorer I do not belong to the team,’ he does not for this reason belong any less to the team. The player driving for a lay-up cannot say to his teammate who just set a pick, ‘I do not need you.’ The player taking a three-point shot cannot say to his teammate boxing out for a rebound, ‘I do not need you.’ But as it is, God places the players, each one of them, in the team as he intended. If they all excelled at the same thing, where would the team be?” (Based on 1 Corinthians 12:14-21)

We can fall into the same trap in our lives as Christians, feeling that we do not measure up to our seemingly more accomplished teammates. Author and speaker Fr. Larry Richards notes that many Catholics looking to the saints as role models see lives of perfection, and become disillusioned when their own lives don’t seem to measure up. “We fail to see the humanity in the saints, and forget that they had their struggles and failures with sin as well,” he says. “People will talk to me about wanting to be another Francis or another Teresa. I tell them, ‘You’re not called to be Francis or Teresa--you’re called to be you. What is God calling YOU to do?”

So you may have scored only two points. Where else have you contributed in your unique, gifted, and irreplaceable way?

Tiger's Troubles a Call to Arms for Sports Ministry

If Tiger Woods’ personal tragedy can be at all redemptive—and all tragedies potentially can—one way is to call attention to the crucial need for spiritual ministry to athletes.

A recent ESPN panel discussion about Woods’ troubles identified a common temptation lurking outside many locker rooms. While not condoning his behavior, the panel noted that male athletes at all levels are routinely pursued by women ready to “throw themselves at them.” For those who view sex as merely a physical and recreational activity, anyone in top physical shape (and especially one with notoriety) becomes a prized trophy. For many athletes the temptation is irresistible, and real life consequences are not anticipated when it seems like only a game.

Yet what ultimately drives anyone seeking these kinds of encounters is not so much physical desire, but an underlying spiritual emptiness desperately seeking gratification at the physical level. Sexual union is ultimately a sign and experience of union with God. Its mutated variations are simply misdirected searches for what ultimately satisfies the human spirit. No less a sexual adventurer than St. Augustine eventually learned that the heart remains restless until it rests in God; all other means of seeking fulfillment—even if temporarily satisfying—cannot fill that emptiness.

Athletics hold enormous influence in our culture. While in their pure form they benefit humanity in many ways, they do have some latent hedonistic dangers. Any activity that is intensely physical and competitive runs the risk of glorifying both the body and the individual self far beyond their relative importance.

The good news is that sports are far more than a physical activity—they are intensely spiritual as well. (Ask any golfer what is more satisfying about a beautiful tee shot—the physical sensation of swinging the club or the exhilaration of watching their shot sail straight down the fairway. Or ask a football player what makes the intense physical pain of Monday morning worthwhile.) So when the spirit of an athlete is fed, the union of body and spirit (which is the essence of humanity) is magnified, and can be placed at the service of society.

Physical training is readily provided to athletes by coaches and trainers. Spiritual conditioning is just as important—if not more so—but may not be as available. If athletes are to become whole persons, not just hard bodies, the spirit must be nourished at the same time. Just as their physical accomplishments make an impression on others outside the locker room, so can their spiritual beauty if given a chance to grow.

At the sight of the crowds, [Jesus’] heart was moved with pity for them because they troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38)

It is in this spirit, and as part of this mission, that I launch this blog. As a proud member of Catholic Athletes for Christ, whose mission is to evangelize the world of sports, it is my prayer not only that Tiger Woods and his family be healed and redeemed through this difficulty, but that the efforts of all who minister to athletes will be renewed, their numbers will grow, and they will respond to the urgency which this situation reveals.