Super Bowl, Culture and The Light of Christ

Now that the Super Bowl is over, the stadium lights are off, the locker rooms are empty, there is reflection. I have read many, many reports and comments about the game, the entertainment, and the worldly aspects of this game. Because of my work in Christian character and leadership, the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to attend the last five Super Bowls. While there are certainly negative aspects of the Super Bowl and all its glamour, if America could get an inside peek at what goes on during the week leading up to the game, there may be more positive attitudes among the Christian elite who say football is an idol, a god, and a distraction. Point is, many people judge from the content of their own hearts.

Friday and Saturday before the game, hundreds of thousands of people came together for the exhibits at the NFL Experience and at Super Bowl City. People of all walks of life, all creeds and colors, religions to just celebrate. Sport, in this case, football in particular, galvanizes communities and brings people together. It transcends politics and differences, if at least for a moment. While discussing your favorite team or player, or your most disliked team or player, can get passionate, sport brings with it a patriotism, a respect for others and a moment of togetherness. I could tell countless stories of talking to many diverse people during the week, and how sport reduces issues to a common denominator.

It’s an example of how we can have passionate differences, such as teams and opponents, yet can discuss those differences from a level of knowledge and respect. If only we could gather together like this as a nation and have reasonable, yet passionate, discussions about the issues that confront us. And, yes, there is decadence and all the dark things that come with a “super” event, but there is also ample opportunity to show Christ at each juncture. Behind the scenes, there are many, many Christians involved with professional and collegiate football speaking into people’s lives. There are programs for youth. There are meetings about race, domestic violence, hiring practices and more.

Who is leading many of these meetings? Christian men and women. The Super Bowl affords the opportunity to bring people together and demonstrate the good. It’s one of those times that reaches beyond football, even though football is the platform. We can easily point our fingers at all the wrong and bad that comes to the forefront through the media. But please understand, the work of my hands and many, many others does not return void. The entire world is dark, but that is our opportunity to get outside the four walls of “church” and do as Jesus instructed in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”