It’s June and the winter of sport is now in full swing. The teams in NRL that will be part of the final series in September are gradually separating themselves from those teams that will finish the season early. The signs are mixed for my team. In the AFL, the Sydney Swans are not doing as well as I would wish but there is still time and hope prevails. Hopefully Manchester United will triumph over Manchester City in the FA cup on 3 June.
This year is also an Ashes year. Five tests to be played in England in June and July. (If I am fortunate, I may get to the Oval to see a day’s play – I’ll be in England when the final test is played). Add in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the ICC World Test Championship, the Netball World Cup in South Africa, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, and the Rugby World Cup in early spring and the Australian appetite for watching sport is well and truly met.
Australians don’t just like to watch sport, we are also one of the leading countries in terms of participation. The department of health reports that 13 million adults and three million children actively take part in sport or a sporting activity each year. Surprisingly, at least to me, is the fact that athletics and swimming are the top two sporting activities in which Australians engage. I thought that cricket and netball would have been the most popular.
When we consider Australians and sport, it should be noted how successful Australia is on the international stage. As a nation we have won 164 Olympic gold medals, been world champions in countless sports and have had sportspeople who have changed the nature of the sports they played. Don Bradman was so dominant that the English developed a strategy that led for calls for Australia to leave the British Commonwealth. Walter Lindrum was almost unbeatable in billiards,` and set so many records that they changed the rules to try and curb his dominance of the sport.
It has been said that sport is the national religion of Australia. But the reality is that sport and religion are not mutually exclusive. Many of the people who are participants in organised and recreational sporting activities are also regular attendees of church and their lives are shaped by their faith. This life-shaping aspect of faith extends to how they participate in sports. The story of Eric Liddell and his decision to compete in the 400m rather than the 100m race at the 1924 Paris Olympics to avoid competing on a Sunday is well known. Less well known than Liddell is Brian Booth, who played Australia in both test cricket for many years and hockey at the 1956 Olympics. Booth, an Anglican lay preacher, was well known for his fair play and for ‘walking’ when he knew he was out without waiting for the umpire’s decision.
I have been asked on more than one occasion if parents should let their children play competitive sport, both team sports and individual ones. The subtext of the question is often “Is it wise to encourage my children to be competitive?”. Many sports are non-competitive, but most involve the concept of winning and losing.
Sport is rarely talked about in the Bible. In keeping with the times, most of allusions to sport are about athletics, principally running. On the occasions when sport is mentioned, it is as an illustration of how to live life. Although the Bible mentions sport infrequently, qualities of good sportsmanship are extolled and expounded. Fair play, respect for others, self-discipline and persistence are commended in the Bible. The Bible does commend physical training as having value. My thoughts on participation in sport and its benefits are positive although, as with any endeavour, sport and our involvement should not become the idol we worship.
My days of competitive sporting endeavour have long passed and, although I do enjoy a long walk, I prefer to watch sport cheering on my favourite team. This winter I will cheer on the Aussies as they take on the world, and hope that the Sydney City Roosters and the Swans make the finals. I will try and walk a little more and exercise regularly. I will enjoy sport, but more I will enjoy God who has given us life that we can all enjoy sport.
Yours in Christ,
Andrew Heron