I chose to start The Christian Nerd almost four years ago. I love my blog and can’t believe that I’m coming up on my thousandth post. I’m fascinated by the intersection of nerd culture and Christian faith, but I could have easily started The Christian Sports Fan.
I’ve always worried that my love for sports hurts my nerd credibility. I can name almost every episode of The Next Generation after five seconds, but I can also name almost every player on the current Warriors roster. I’m super excited for The Force Awakens but, right now, I’m even more excited for the fantasy football playoffs. And Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out next May, but I’m more looking forward to the Cubs’ pitchers and catchers reporting in February.
The Cubs are definitely my favorite sports team, even though they’re one of the worst. However, earlier this week they signed Jon Lester, the top free agent pitcher, to a six-year contract. I didn’t know how much I wanted the Cubs to sign Lester until the deal was actually done. Once the news of Lester’s signing came across my Twitter feed, I had an emotional response, one I wasn’t expecting.
Sports are weird.
I don’t know Jon Lester and I don’t know anyone associated with the Cubs. The closest I get is a friend who lives a few blocks from Wrigley Field. However, because I was born in Chicago and have always considered myself a Cubs fan, I’ve been giddy since the Cubs signed Lester. I kept refreshing my Twitter feed all day on Tuesday, hoping for any info on Lester. When news broke that he had signed with the Cubs, I pumped my fist as if I had just won something. But I hadn’t, which is totally weird.
Sports meet humanity’s deep need to belong. God created us with an inherent need for community; the only thing wrong with God’s original creation was that Adam was alone. We should meet that need for community with our friends and family, not by associating with a sports team. If we have a good support system of friends, though, then identifying with a sports team (or three) isn’t a bad thing.
I love the Cubs, Warriors and Bears. It’s not always easy to keep their performances from impacting my mood, but I do my best. The Bears are terrible but they’re being overshadowed by the Cubs’ offseason moves and the Warriors’ current 14-game winning streak.
Sports may be weird, but at least they can make me happy… or completely miserable.
I may just watch The Force Awakens Trailer again.
Do you even care about sports?
Not really, no, except in the abstract – “they can be good exercise,” “they can build cooperation,” etc. I never paid attention at all until my son became an NFL fan. I have a fantasy football team in our family league (I’m the Photon Torpedoes — pew! pew!), but many weeks I neglect to set my line up.
Still, a former editor of mine has written a book you might enjoy, on the intersection of sports and faith: http://www.amazon.com/Kneeling-End-Zone-Spiritual-Lessons/dp/0829818421/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418308230&sr=8-1&keywords=kneeling+end+zone