Written by Beck Brydon
As a high school varsity head football coach coaching in my first Texas High School State Championship game, I was an emotional wreck. Mid-way through the first quarter I lost it on the officiating crew. So bad that my strength coach had to physically pick me up and move me back to the team box on our sideline. I was so incensed that I didn’t even realize how embarrassed I should have been!
Our kicker walked up behind me and asked to speak with me. I didn’t make time for him, so he asked again. Annoyed, I turned around and said in short temper, “what James?” He said, “Coach, you are not emulating Christ and not setting a good example for us.” Offended, I stuck my finger in his chest and said, “you worry about your job and I’ll do mine.”
In a flash, all that I had poured into our kids (and parents) that season was being thrown away. I quickly realized what I’d done and knew I had to recover, and fast.
Halftime came and we held a small lead over the heavy favorites. As I walked toward the locker room, all I could think about was how my character, my lack of self-control, had tarnished what I professed to be true…
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I believe the ultimate litmus test for everything we do in life as Christians, including all things in sport, is this — do our thoughts, words and actions honor our Lord Jesus Christ and bless others? If yes, keep doing them. If not, repent and change.
To make a claim as “Christian”, we must understand what that claim means and what it requires. Claiming to be a Christian means that we accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ by making Him our Savior and Lord. Jesus being Lord of our lives means that we are not Lord of ourselves – we live life differently from when we were not followers of Christ, and we live life differently than the broken world around us. Every aspect of our lives is to be lived in submission to Christ… including our roles as parents, coaches and athletes.
Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Scripture is crystal clear. As followers of Christ, we are not to, “conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). And Colossians 3:2 calls us to “set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
The only way for us to truly be salt & light in athletics is to be familiar with Jesus’ character and emulate how His character would be applied in sports settings.
As a fan, would Jesus yell, “airball”? Would He single out an opponent and talk about his mother, sister or girlfriend? Would He yell at an official for a bad call? Would He scream “sit down” when an opposing coach was talking to an official?
As a coach, would Jesus only care about performance outcomes? Would He scream at a player for making a mistake? Would He constantly jaw at an official throughout the game? Would He avoid shaking hands with opponents after a contest? Would He gossip to parents or kids about another coach on staff or about coaching decisions made in a game?
As a player, would Jesus taunt his opponent by calling him names, and making him feel “small”? Would He beat His own chest and draw attention to himself after making a good play? Would He care more about His personal performance in a game than the team’s performance?
One common challenge I hear when someone is trying to defend their high intensity or anger-based response is the reference to Jesus turning over tables in the temple. First, Jesus was demonstrating righteous anger towards exploitation and injustice. A bad call by an official or a coach not playing your daughter as much as you think she should does not qualify as righteous anger. Second, Jesus’ recorded actions of anger make up less than 1% of his documented life. Out of hundreds of miracles, parables, and daily interactions, anger is explicitly mentioned only a handful of times. And remember, Jesus’ anger was without sin.
As humans, we want control. Humanity’s first recorded sin in Genesis 3 was largely about control. Scripture is clear on the need for self-control. It is a fruit of the spirit for followers of Christ. The Old and New Testaments are both full of stories regarding the outcomes of self-control, or lack thereof. How we handle adversity oftentimes screams what we truly believe about reality. If we have to control things, we don’t believe that there is an all-knowing, all-loving God who is in control. Self-control is a measure of spiritual maturity, reflecting submission to God’s perfect authority.
In addition to character qualities that align with what it means to be a follower of Christ, consider the concept of Imago Dei, that all humans are image bearers of God. Being an image bearer of our Creator is a unique reality that He did not bestow on the rest of His creation. When dealing with adversity stemming from a conflict, following Christ means we pause, consider our fellow image bearer, and treat them with respect and dignity. Being salt and light in life is hard.
Being salt and light in sports is really hard! But it is the calling. We won’t ever be perfect, but we should be intentional. Do opponents and officials see Christ in us? Are we a light on a hill? Does our character attract others to Jesus? These are the higher things we must be mindful of.
Let’s be who we claim to be.
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As I headed into the locker room that December afternoon, all I could think about was what a fool I had become in that moment. While the team was probably expecting a Vince Lombardi-type speech, I was convicted that the coach the team needed most in that moment was, first, a broken man who needed to authentically ask forgiveness for my own baffoonery. For much of my adult life, I’ve tried to live by the mantra “it’s never a wrong time to do the right thing.”
I entered the locker-room, walked over to the corner, grabbed my Bible, looked up and said, “Guys, I’m so proud of you. Before we do anything else, I need to ask for your forgiveness.” I told the team about my interaction with James, looked at James, and with tears in my eyes asked James to forgive me. Being the bigger man, James said, “Of course, Coach!” I then asked the team to forgive me for not being the leader that I should have been and not demonstrating what self-control looks like under pressure.
A couple of big, deep breaths later, we moved on to halftime adjustments.
We converted a 4th & 13 late in the game, went on to score, and then held our opponent on downs to win our first state championship.
After the game, I couldn’t find James fast enough to share a huge hug and to tell him again how sorry I was for my poor character. Smiling, James said, “Coach, we’re good! I love you.”
-Beck Brydon, Exec Director of Athletics, Trinity Christian Academy (Addison, TX)