From my weekly article at WorldMag.com:
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| photo credit: danxoneil via photopin cc |
A few weeks ago I was a guest on Desiring God’s Behind the Blog podcast, where we talked about sports and Christianity. I was asked whether sports are of less value than the arts because of all the formulated rules inherent in these mere games? In other words, are sports phony or contrived man-made ventures less worthy of thought and energy than the arts.
All creative endeavors, at least the good ones, have rules and limitations. Painters have a color palette and a medium in which they work, whether it is oil or watercolors, canvas or a mural on a wall. Sculptors use particular tools and a finite amount of material, such as a single block of stone or wood. Writers have word counts and chapter breaks and grammatical rules. Poets have meter and form. Musicians have notes and measures. And all of them have a genre or style to guide and shape their work—or limit it if you choose to see it that way.
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The same applies to the world of sports. The boundaries on a field or court create a space, and the rules of the game eliminate anarchy. It is within this framework that great athletes are free to express beauty and power and majesty.
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