SPORTS FANS

Many live for their sports whether it be football, basketball, hockey, and volleyball. Some even get thrilled during the sport of curling. Many select their home team and each season, even during the holidays, they root for them; ironically, even during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s day.

There is nothing wrong with supporting your team. Supporters are as if they are part of the team, and the most dedicated of them all are those who pay thousands of dollars to sit in rainstorms or blizzards to witness the games. Indeed, their presence and enthusiasm are encouragement to the players. Playing in an empty stadium would be disheartening to any team. Even the visiting team needs some supporters because of the home-team advantage.

Sports fans are necessary for the success of the team. Indeed, athletic supporters are part of the team.

In some seasons, the home-team may be on a losing streak and apathy ensues. No longer are they not enthused but have submitted to inevitable losses. Ironically, the more apathetic the supporters become, the more losses their team seem to have. Apathy on the part of sports fans is as if their home teams are the opponents. Some may even see losses as well-deserved punishment. Usually, the manager or coach takes the ‘fall’ for the entire team.

Sports fans, when things go wrong, tend to become severe sports critics. Their discouraging words, as they sit tight on their hands, is their way of punishing lackluster players and the managers.

Sports fans are part of the team and are necessary for success. Teams without fans are never in the limelight.

So, just what is a ‘fan’?

The word ‘fan’ in that context comes from the English word ‘fanatic,’ meaning an insane person. The Latin origin was fanaticus "mad, enthusiastic, inspired by a god," also "furious, mad” (Douglas Harper 2001-2023). Therefore, ‘fan’ is as much a fervent religion as any religion might be.

You all have seen it yourselves; sports fans are religious about supporting their teams. Even atheists, therefore, have a religion of sorts. Many sports fans even follow their teams to distant places to support them. Their religion is Sports Enthusiasm. They cheer for their most revered object which is as much a team of lesser gods managed by a higher ‘god.’ Some Hoosiers still idolize coach Bobby Knight — the ‘god’ that just recently died.

Sports have always been a religion. That religion became organized in 776 B.C.  Ancient Olympic games “were held at the Panhellenic religious sanctuary of Olympia, in honor of Zeus, and the Greeks gave them a mythological origin” (Wikipedia 2023).

Before the coming of Christ, the way of dating time was the year of the Olympiad. So, for sports fanatics, their time here on Earth, rather than measured from the time of Christ, is the time from the first Olympiad. For a period, that time stopped in the second century, AD, but continued secretly.

The ancient Olympiad was a celebration of Zeus every four years. That religion has been restored with the modern Olympic games, ostensibly to some unknown god.

That ‘god’ is the unholy spirit of Zeus. Hence, sports fans are unwittingly glorifying the Greek god Zeus, all the time thinking that they are just ‘fans’ as in ‘fannian’ — “to stir up air” (Douglas Harper 2001-2023).

Ironically, Satan is “Prince of the Power of the Air,” if that has any significance… and I believe it does. Sports events, for some, are more important than church and winning games is more important than winning souls. It is okay to support your teams, but not at the expense of neglecting the One True God. It is okay to support your team if not robbing God of His due.

Just what does God (Jesus Christ) deserve? Glorification!

The psalmist wrote that “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord; and shall glorify Your Name” (Psalm 86:9). His ‘Name’ became more than the Hebrew, ‘A Sem;’ He was called Jesus (Mat 1:25).

‘Glorify’ comes from the Hebrew, ‘kabad’ — to put much weight upon. In the case of Jesus, that is to value Him highly and esteem Him much. In other words, to become a ‘fan’ of Jesus — a Jesus fanatic, or becoming fervent for Jesus. You could even imply that Christians are to go overboard with Jesus.

That brings us to Peter. While still safe in the boat, Peter saw Jesus who was walking on turbulent waters. Peter went a little insane for Jesus, perhaps with much zealousness. He went overboard for the sake of Jesus.

Jesus said “come’ and, “And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus” (Mat 14:29). Peter was not ‘making-sport’ of Jesus, mocking Him, but did go overboard for Him.

Peter was a fisherman and knew the water could drown him, especially with so much turbulence during the storm, but He was such a fan of Jesus that he did a crazy thing — he went overboard for Jesus. Peter was the fan of Jesus and was fanatical about Him to the extent that He would walk with Jesus all the way to his own death. As it turned out, Peter was such a fanatic for Jesus that he went to his own cross as well, then Nero had him crucified in the same manner as Jesus.

Peter did not only go overboard for Jesus but aboveboard. He, without resistance, died for his ‘team’ — the Church — and its ‘Coach’ — Jesus.

In AD 60, Nero commenced the Olympic games in Rome, just in time to burn the ‘Olympic Torch” (as it turned out, Rome) and to persecute the Church to honor Zeus. Then Peter was crucified at about the time of the Second Roman Olympiad games.

Playing sports for Zeus (Latin ‘Jupiter’) was more exhilarating to Nero than being part of Christ’s ‘Team.’ Although a fan for Jupiter and pagan Rome, Nero was a fanatic against Jesus and the Church — the new ‘team’ that was forming to compete against Zeus.

What was the spark that ignited this commentary? Certainly not the Olympic Torch but the Divine Spark of God.

I was speaking to a person just recently who indicated that it was okay to believe in God but not to go overboard; not to be overly enthused.

Glorifying God is essentially going overboard for Him. Just think about that; when Big Ship Earth is stormed, as it will be someday, we will indeed step off the ‘ship’ and look for safe harbor. There will be no dock to step onto, but only to trust Jesus for salvation.

We will someday be called by Jesus to “Come,’ as He told Peter. Will you go overboard to walk with Him wherever it is that He goes? Will you be enough of a fan to go overboard with Him?

‘Overboard’ is to go aboveboard with Jesus — to cross the firmament to another realm to go to a place that few will ever go because they were afraid of being fanatic enough to walk on lofty places to go to heaven!

Sports fans are fanatics of an invisible god as well. It is just that their god has no power to overcome the world as our God — Jesus — has done.

What does God expect of us? To follow Him wherever He walks, just like a rabid sports fan.

You may go to an adjacent city, or sports fanatics may go to many cities, even to distant places. Some may neglect friends and family to engage in watching sports. It may not even matter whose team or what sport they are, but you can count on them to be there glorifying their team, most often not even for a reason!

If it is okay to be a sports fan, it is okay to be a fanatic for Team Jesus — to go overboard or aboveboard for Him. That, readers, is the Way to Paradise in heaven!