Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Hit Me With your Best Shot (Again)!


I try to make the Scriptures applicable to real-life situations with our kids. Last week in a major league baseball game, New York Yankee Derek Jeter gave us an opportunity to discuss the relationship between sports and Christianity, if any such relationship exists. In a contest versus the Tampa Bay Rays, Jeter pretended to be hit by a pitch. The umpire awarded him first base to the objection of Ray's manager, Joe Maddon, who was ejected for protesting the decision. (There is no instant replay review for this situation.) After the game, Jeter freely confessed that the ball did not him and he was simply trying to help his team win. When told of Jeter's confession, Maddon applauded the Yankee shortstop and wished his own players were like him in this regard. I outlined the situation for my students and asked them to tell me if they think this behavior is acceptable under the guise of 'it's part of the game.' This is the second part of yesterday's thoughts. Girls are in purple, boys are in blue, and the grade is shown next to the name of the author.

"I believe it's not fair to cheat just to advance in a sporting game. If you make a shot fake in basketball, it does not count because it is not against the rules. As for taking illegal drugs to improve your game, it is against the rules and against the law. Rules are made to keep a game fair and most people who abuse rules wouldn't want anyone to abuse rules against them. Therefore, Derek Jeter should not be applauded for cheating."
Laura 8

"I think that honesty is important in all we do and in the case of sports, it should be the same. It's not right to lie so its wrong, even if you need to win. However, I don't think you can compare the situations because some people go to extremes to win and usually it is left up to the authority to make the decision for the person in doubt."
Gerran 12

"I think that as a Christian, it is not the right thing to do, but if the ref cannot see what is going on, then it is not your fault. I don't think he was wrong because when you're in a game, you really just want to do whatever you can to win. I guess if you don't play sports you just have a different perspective from people who do."
Julie 11

"I think it is wrong to cheat in a professional game where you get paid no matter what. That's not the sole reason I think it's wrong but because it compromises the integrity of the association and the team you represent, not to mention yourself. The rules of a Christian lifestyle should apply in sports because otherwise, you would have two sets of rules to follow."
Christian 12

''I understand Derek Jeter's action. I know he lied to the umpire to gain an advantage. Most people would say that was not good sportsmanship or it was dishonest. Even if he was dishonest, he did it for his team. When I played soccer for WCS as a sophomore, we played against Lutheran North. I was down on the ground with one of their players and I acted like he pushed me. Therefore, he got a red card and he played less aggressively. In my opinion, Derek Jeter's act was part of sports.''
Changmin Oh

God bless,

Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

No comments: