How Soccer Explains the World (and our faith?)

This may seem a funny way of looking at the world, but I remember reading two author's comments in "How Soccer Explains the World" and "Soccer Against the Enemy" that argue otherwise. The argument they make, essentially, is that if more people around the world care about their soccer team more than they do the elected officials of their country...it speaks volumes. Sport has always had a huge effect on society, all the way back to the days of gladiators in Rome and Olympic champions in Greece.

In these two books and even in some History Channel documentaries on the history of sport, the argument is made the sports, especially soccer, is manipulated to manipulate the masses. There is a reason that Dyanamo Kiev wins in Ukraine a lot and CSK Moscow wins a lot in Russia...they are both owned and backed by the government. If they win, it makes the government look better. In Scotland, if Rangers win then Protestants look better, but if Celtic win, then the Catholics take the spoils. And it's true in America as well, even though we don't appreciate soccer as much as we should. Have you ever seen the hatred towards a football coach who leaves a mid-level college compared to an executive who does the same thing in the corporate world? Sport, for no apparent reason, has become the end all, be all showcase of loyalty and dedication to one's cause. Who you support says a LOT about who you are.

Being a huge soccer fan, I made sure to tune in to watch the USA play valiantly against Brazil in the final game of the 2009 Confederations Cup. It would have been HUGE if the USA won this game, but they still came out with a good image. After the game was over, I was stunned that the USA had blown a two goal lead, but from the corner of the TV my heart and attention were grabbed. Kaka, the best player on Brazil's squad (and some say in the world) had taken off his jersey to reveal a white, hand-decorated t-shirt stating clearly, "I belong to Jesus." I noticed that amidst the huge celebration other popular Brazilians players had very similar looking shirts saying the same thing or other variations of "I love Jesus." This is a bold move for macho soccer players in front of millions of people on TV. Especially when the whole of Brazil is now engorged with national pride. Wouldn't they want to celebrate the strength of their country during a time like this?

How soccer explains the world in this case takes a little background. While the USA and Europe have always been thought of as traditionally Christian, there has been very little growth and in fact decline in the number of churches and Jesus-professing Christians for a while now. We don't like to say it, but that's the case. I'm guessing most of the USA players would not have had shirts like this on, because in the USA we take it for granted. Things are not happening like they should all over the country.

Brazil, on the other hand is one of the countries in South America and Africa that has been exploding for a decade with Christianity. I mean exploding! Pentecostalism is huge in Brazil, Africans are going crazy for United Methodism, so it is no wonder that on the biggest TV stage of the year, the Brazilians are going to give credit to the biggest reason they are there to begin with.

It served to me as a reminder that I shouldn't be ashamed of my faith in Jesus. I shouldn't glorify myself or any other above the name of God, and even in the most trivial things like a soccer game, I use that platform to show people the mission and love of Christ. That is what we are called to do as Christians, from Africa to South America to right here in the USA. We are called to glorify God in all that we do, and called to spread God's love in all that we do.

I think not only our soccer, but our words, our actions and our attitudes ought to explain the heavenly realm we are a part of to the rest of the world. Thanks Brazil for reinvigorating this pastor's enthusiasm.