It’s been my word – my word all year’s been LOVE.

Last week, Alabama and Clemson squared off in the National College Football Championship, in front of an estimated television audience of over 26 Million viewers.

Amidst a dramatic finish and an “underdog” subplot, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave a spontaneous, emotional interview as a throng of reporters swarmed him, confetti falling from the rafters.

While it’s true that sports can be full of clichés and rah-rah exaggerations, they still give us plenty of redeeming story lines. Reports are that Swinney’s Christian faith is deep and authentic.

How refreshing and encouraging it is to see a man (and a leader of so many young men) so unabashedly proclaiming and praising God on on the highest stage of sports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPQoClYZR8M

Reflection Questions:

1. Is Christian faith somehow more acceptable in mainstream sports than in other areas of popular culture, like the arts (Hollywood, theatre, music) or politics? Why or why not?

2. Should there be a place for faith in a sports setting (youth, college, amateur, pro)? Where, why, and how?

3. What do you think the coach meant by “my word all year has been LOVE“?

4. How have sports and God intersected in your life?

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