Today I went on sabbatical. My sabbatical is not from school or work or anything altogether important. I am taking an indefinite leave of absence from the NFL. As of today, I am done watching games on Sunday, Monday Thursday, or any other day the league master-minds put on the schedule (I am still waiting for them to try and add an eight day of the week just so they can increase viewership). For some I am being irrational, while others just plain stupid. But I am doing it nonetheless.
Why?
First, I need to be honest about one of my reasons. My team of choice, the Carolina Panthers, are not very good. They are a poorly run franchise seemingly floundering in mediocrity. Wasting (that's ultimately what it is) 3-4 hours of an evening/afternoon gets old really quick. Call me a bad fan, but I would rather read the box score and view the highlights than experience the frustration. My stress levels will probably be better off with my decision not to watch.
Currently, I also have a lot of things on my plate, and football takes up far more than it should. I find myself wasting a lot of time I do not have reading articles and obsessing about football when I should be working or investing in people. The reality is football has no real impact on my life outside of entertainment. I know I can fill the time with other means of entertainment that my actually provide me rest and joy in the process.
But most influential is my overall dissatisfaction with the entire system. From the owners down to the players, I am frustrated and annoyed. The on-going use of replacement officials, which insults the history of the game as well as the millions of fans who pay money to enjoy it, is just the most recent example. The existence of Thursday night games where players never recover from the toll of Sunday's game, and the desire for an 18-game schedule which opens the door to more injuries both stand in stark contrast to the league's "commitment" to player safety. Bickering and fighting over thousands (maybe millions) of dollars when the league makes billions looks silly and apathetic considering the economic status of many in this nation, let alone the world. Along those lines, the pension demands of the locked-out officials looks just as idiotic considering pensions are no longer handed out anywhere. Toss in the players who willingly sacrifice their bodies to play the game, but cry foul when their bodies break down. They fail to understand the human body was never designed to withstand the brutal beating they put it through week in and week out. I admire their love and passion, but claiming ignorance is no longer an valid. And probably what I dislike least is the mantra by all active participants of willingly sacrificing to "the all-mighty dollar." Owners run the league in order to maximize their wallets. Players play to maximize their wallets (and winning does help to that end). Loyalty and common decency is quickly tossed aside in order to earn the extra million. I could go on, but I still enjoy football and do not want write it off altogether.
And when I say all of this, I am fully aware that the same applies to all the other professional sports leagues and major corporations. So why am I not taking a sabbatical from them? Honestly, I am not quite sure. Technically this entire ploy is a double standard. I plan to watch the NBA, which is just as stained as the NFL. I will continue to use my iPhone even though Apple's primary care is maximizing their profits (as should any company wanting to last in a free market society). Maybe it is the NFL's popularity or simply me looking for a semi-valid reason to give up something which I probably have allowed too much control and influence in my life.
And there is the reality that most of the problems I have with the NFL can be said about me (to a certain degree). I am guilty of insulting those around me. I am guilty of taking advantage of people. I am guilty of hypocrisy. I am guilty of sacrificing to the god of money. I am guilty of whining and complaining when I fail to get what I want or think I deserve.
So maybe this sabbatical idea is more about me than any sports' league or practice of society. Maybe I see myself mimicking them instead of imaging Christ. Maybe to see gospel transformation evidenced around me, I need to continue to pursue it in my own life. Or maybe I am just being ridiculous and exemplifying a gross naivety of the world around me.
Whatever the case, so long old friend...at least for now.
Why?
First, I need to be honest about one of my reasons. My team of choice, the Carolina Panthers, are not very good. They are a poorly run franchise seemingly floundering in mediocrity. Wasting (that's ultimately what it is) 3-4 hours of an evening/afternoon gets old really quick. Call me a bad fan, but I would rather read the box score and view the highlights than experience the frustration. My stress levels will probably be better off with my decision not to watch.
Currently, I also have a lot of things on my plate, and football takes up far more than it should. I find myself wasting a lot of time I do not have reading articles and obsessing about football when I should be working or investing in people. The reality is football has no real impact on my life outside of entertainment. I know I can fill the time with other means of entertainment that my actually provide me rest and joy in the process.
But most influential is my overall dissatisfaction with the entire system. From the owners down to the players, I am frustrated and annoyed. The on-going use of replacement officials, which insults the history of the game as well as the millions of fans who pay money to enjoy it, is just the most recent example. The existence of Thursday night games where players never recover from the toll of Sunday's game, and the desire for an 18-game schedule which opens the door to more injuries both stand in stark contrast to the league's "commitment" to player safety. Bickering and fighting over thousands (maybe millions) of dollars when the league makes billions looks silly and apathetic considering the economic status of many in this nation, let alone the world. Along those lines, the pension demands of the locked-out officials looks just as idiotic considering pensions are no longer handed out anywhere. Toss in the players who willingly sacrifice their bodies to play the game, but cry foul when their bodies break down. They fail to understand the human body was never designed to withstand the brutal beating they put it through week in and week out. I admire their love and passion, but claiming ignorance is no longer an valid. And probably what I dislike least is the mantra by all active participants of willingly sacrificing to "the all-mighty dollar." Owners run the league in order to maximize their wallets. Players play to maximize their wallets (and winning does help to that end). Loyalty and common decency is quickly tossed aside in order to earn the extra million. I could go on, but I still enjoy football and do not want write it off altogether.
And when I say all of this, I am fully aware that the same applies to all the other professional sports leagues and major corporations. So why am I not taking a sabbatical from them? Honestly, I am not quite sure. Technically this entire ploy is a double standard. I plan to watch the NBA, which is just as stained as the NFL. I will continue to use my iPhone even though Apple's primary care is maximizing their profits (as should any company wanting to last in a free market society). Maybe it is the NFL's popularity or simply me looking for a semi-valid reason to give up something which I probably have allowed too much control and influence in my life.
And there is the reality that most of the problems I have with the NFL can be said about me (to a certain degree). I am guilty of insulting those around me. I am guilty of taking advantage of people. I am guilty of hypocrisy. I am guilty of sacrificing to the god of money. I am guilty of whining and complaining when I fail to get what I want or think I deserve.
So maybe this sabbatical idea is more about me than any sports' league or practice of society. Maybe I see myself mimicking them instead of imaging Christ. Maybe to see gospel transformation evidenced around me, I need to continue to pursue it in my own life. Or maybe I am just being ridiculous and exemplifying a gross naivety of the world around me.
Whatever the case, so long old friend...at least for now.
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