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A Real Iron Man

Friday, December 11th, 2009

A.C. Green

Sports are just a hotbed of temptation.

I do not know this from experience. Sure, I run a bit. I play a bit of tennis. But in terms of actual athletic talent, I’m about on the level of your typical backyard vegetable.

No, I know this from what I see, hear from and read about certain athletes. Tiger Woods is only the most recent superstar to fall prey to the temptations that confront rich, talented athletes on the road for much of the year. One former football player (now a Denver sports radio personality) recently said on his show that, really, no athlete should ever get married during their playing career. Just too much temptation.

Which is why I appreciate basketball great A.C. Green so much.

The Los Angeles Times‘ Chris Erskine recently talked with Green about the Tiger Woods debacle and, in so doing, wrote a mini-profile on this deeply religious man who also, incidentally, won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and played in 1,192 straight games — still a record.

But there was another streak in Green’s life that may be even more remarkable: the abstinence streak. The deeply religious Green took a vow of chastity until marrying in 2002, meaning he remained “pure” through the Lakers’ “Showtime” era.

Think of that. The Lakers are probably sports’ most sexually charged franchise. Laker Girls do the sort of hip thrusts that can take the rust out of Jerry Buss’ hair. Through all that, Green remained a virgin. Talk about an iron man.

It’s a great story. Go read it.

Tags: A.C. Green, abstinence, basketball, Christian, purity, sports, Tiger Woods
Posted in O.J. Award, sports | Permalink

God Under the Goalposts

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Let me be honest: I’m still reeling from the Denver Broncos 30-7 loss Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens. I’ve been a Bronco fan since I was old enough to put on a plastic helmet, and my weeks always start a little more miserably during football season when we — I mean they — lose. And, after a loss like the one that took place on Sunday, even reading the word “football” can be painful.

Which made Time magazine’s story titled “God and Football: The NFL’s Chaplains Give Advice” particularly agonizing to read. But such are the sacrifices I make to write this blog.

The story details the work of the volunteers that minister to those in the National Football League. For a violent game played on Christianity’s traditional day of rest, football is surprisingly steeped in faith, and chaplains can play a pretty integral role in how their teams function, on some level. And sometimes they’re called to answer some pretty ticklish theological questions: “Does God want us to lose? Does he favor the Steelers? What makes Lambeau Field sacred? Is it right to pray for first downs when people are suffering? And who caused that fumble, Jesus or Julius Peppers?”

And then there’s this:

But the chaplains believe their real value is more long term than game-day ministering. Through teaching Scripture and individual counseling, they attempt to bolster the players’ values, so that their priorities, especially when they leave the regulated world of football, do not lead them down the path of self-destruction. At the same time, the chaplains help the players understand the acceptability of being forceful on the field, even as good Christians.

“The popular perception of Christianity in America, prior to the last 10 to 15 years, has been that being a Christian meant you were soft — you were considered weak, kind of a pushover,” says Pastor Trapp. “You’re the guy who was going to turn the other cheek. But you read in the Bible that some of those guys were brash and bold and forceful but still had a heart and a desire for God.”

The idea of fostering a more muscular form of Christianity is nothing new. Pastors who minister primarily to men know that a traditional church service, full of its romance-tinged worship music and touchy-feely vibe, can be a tough sell amongst the spitting, grunting set. It’s kinda nice for us Christians laden with XY chromosomes to have role models that, if given an excuse, could knock your block off.

Tags: chaplains, football, sports
Posted in Entertainment, North America | Permalink

Ripping for Christ?

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Freestyle motorcyclist on the Zwarte Cross festival. Photo by Koos Groenewold

Churches around the country have launched X Games-style outreach programs for youth, from setting up impromptu skate parks to hosting and sponsoring motocross contests. So maybe it shouldn’t surprise me that some of ESPN’s X Games’ biggest stars are Christian.

But it did.

Before X Games 15 wrapped up this weekend in Los Angeles, The New York Times published a profile on the Games’ high-octane brand of Christianity. The story’s main protagonist is Brian Deegan, a heavily tattooed, high-throttle guy who competes in freestyle motocross. Back in 2005, Deegan crashed after attempting a backflip in 40 mile-an-hour wind, ripping an artery out of his kidney. He nearly bled to death, and doctors weren’t sure they could patch him back together. (You can see a short documentary on the accident here, but be warned — you’ll hear a few bleeped profanities).

So Deegan did what — let’s be honest — most of us would do in a similar situation: He bargained with God, telling Him he’d turn his life around if he could just survive the operation.

Such bargains, I suspect, are often short-lived. But Deegan survived and made good on his promise. He started reading the Bible, dedicated his life to Christ and soon his entire motocross posse – a hard-partying crew known as the Metal Mulisha — were showing up at church and attending Bible studies.

X Games-style sports now boast several high-profile Christians, according to the Times, though not everyone embraces them. The X Games, after all, are a collection of sports that hovered on the fringe of the sporting world, and the athletes who thrive here embrace the mystique of the outsider.

Deegan, though, thinks his Christianity fits snugly with his image.

“In the end I said, who’s more radical than us?” Deegan told the Times. “Everything we do is full-on. Once we went to church, we were full-on Christians, too. And we’re going to go for it. On the mic, I’ll say it. On TV, say it. The next thing you know, I have way more people pumped on me.”

Tags: Bible, bike, church, conversion, motocross, sports, X Games
Posted in pop culture | Permalink

Jar on Clay

Monday, May 25th, 2009

Tennis’ French Open began yesterday, and as such, I wanted to mark a favorite moment from my youth. About 20 years ago, 17-year-old Michael Chang won the thing.

For me, Chang’s ride on the French’s grueling clay courts was pretty riveting. He was the first of a slew of up-and-coming Americans to win a Grand Slam event—his contemporaries include Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier—but while those guys had pretty outrageous physical gifts, Chang was 5-foot-9 and weighed as much as a large dog. Though at 17 he was wicked-fast and the youngest Grand Slam winner ever, he never overpowered anyone with his serve. Or forehand. Or backhand.

But, as this Jerry Crowe column from The Los Angeles Times says, the guy just never quit. And for me—a skinny kid who had all the athletic talent of an ottoman—Chang was an inspiration. Oh, sure, the guy was far more talented than I’d ever be. But what set him apart was his heart.

What I didn’t know when Chang was ripping through the French Open was that, just about a year earlier, Chang had become a Christian.

“We said a prayer before every match,” Chang writes on his Web site. “We didn’t pray to win. We prayed that our priorities would be straight and that the Lord would shine through us and give us the strength and the peace to do His work and to do His will. We also prayed that our actions and our words would be used to glorify Him.”

Chang now heads the Chang Family Foundation, a Christian-based sports program that states as its ultimate goal to “introduce the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.” He told the Times that, maybe, his victory at the French 20 years ago was literally heaven-sent.

“A lot of people forget that Tiananmen Square was going on,” said Chang, who’s Chinese-American. “I often tell people I think it was God’s purpose for me to be able to win the French Open the way it was won because I was able to put a smile on Chinese people’s faces around the world at a time when there wasn’t much to smile about.”

Tags: role model, sports
Posted in Europe, sports | Permalink