Sports in the name of God?

By Erin Hussey

Last night my teammates and I met at the Nobili Hall chapel for our annual "crew mass." It was very similar to years past, except for the fact that instead of having it a few weeks before the start of our racing season, it was held with only five weeks left.

Maybe it is because I only have five weeks left as a competitive rower or maybe it is because I have taken too many religion classes, but I couldn't help wonder what the right way to pray about sports was... or even if we should be in the first place.

Listening to the first reading about "dedicating the season to God," I looked around and wondered if anyone of us had ever made that conscious decision. If someone had ever sat on the starting line and silently said, "I do this in the name of the Lord Jesus." To be honest, it just doesn't seem very common. I, for one, know that when I am sitting on the starting line right next to my opponent all I think about is winning -- what I have to do and how badly it's going to hurt getting there.

But, as the mass went on, I began to slowly process the concept of "sports for God."

As with many things in life, including sports, it's not always about the small details, but rather the bigger picture. For example, having a winning record, while great, isn't going to make or break you later in life or God's happiness with you for that matter.

Yes, winning is great. In fact, I love to win. Who doesn't? It gives you an amazing feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. It makes all of your long, tiring practices, demanding schedule, and lack of sleep seem worth it. But in all honesty, does winning make you a better person or a better disciple of God? No.

It is the growth and change you experience through sports that brings you closer to God. It is the lessons that you learn, not the number of goals you score. Athletics can help teach you compassion, teamwork and love. It allows you to be a part of something bigger than yourself and have a glimpse at what it means to be selfless.

So the next time you ask for God's help, pray for the courage to give yourself entirely to your teammates, for the strength to sacrifice everything you have for your team and the competition at hand.

As the Prayer for Generosity by St. Ignatius of Loyola says, pray "to give and not count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward."

* Contact Erin Hussey at (408) 551-1918 or ehussey@scu.edu.