Last week Kurt Oyer and I got together over lunch to talk about a hermeneutics class he's taking as part of one of those accelerated learning programs in which older students can finish their college degree. We talked about a paper he was researching on Colossians 4 and we also discussed at some length Psalm 130 and the life of David.One thing we didn't talk about was sports except, that is, to mention that we hadn't.
And that's significant. Because sports used to be a common subject of our conversations. We've both been fans all our lives and, since we're both from Colorado, we are loyal to the same teams. Also, we've been in fantasy football leagues together for nearly 20 years.
But we both noted that sports just aren't that captivating to us anymore. I reminded Kurt that the only sport I've regularly watched in recent years is golf. Even though I've never played the game, I like the serene beauty of the courses, the leisurely pace of the matches, the fact that the matches are decided by the athletes themselves (that is, the contest is unaffected by subjective judgments from referees or umpires) and finally, I really enjoy the sportsmanship steadily shown by golfers.
Contrast that sportsmanship with the boorish lack thereof shown in recent days by Michael Jordan and Serena Williams. Or make a list of how many pro golfers have been arrested for assault, carrying weapons, beating up their women, DUIs, illegal gambling, cocaine, and so on and then make another list (and another and another) for those from pro basketball, football, and baseball. You see my point.
Another reason that I'm more inclined to golf nowadays is my admiration for the money the PGA raises for charity. Even sports fans usually aren't aware that the PGA Tour gives more money to charity than the NBA, Major League Baseball, and the NFL combined.
So, yes; it's football season and Kurt and I were coming up on the first weekend of our fantasy league games but you couldn't have told it by our luncheon conversation. The wide world of sports ain't what it used to be.
(Above photo by Brunskill/Getty and published in the NY Daily News.)
