What have we taught here?
By Pastor Brent Oliver

Brent Oliver is pastor at First Assembly of God in Delphi.

Sports have been a part of my whole life. Thankfully, I am still healthy enough to enjoy a variety of sports as a participant (yes, something even faster paced than croquet!). My children enjoy playing sports, and I enjoy being with them and watching them.

Everyone knows that school sports and summer sports are all about the kids. If a sporting event becomes a negative thing, most of the time it is because adults make it that way. The other night's baseball game was a case in point. The umpire was, we will say, somewhat inconsistent in his calling of balls and strikes. (Remember, we fans from 50 feet away can tell what a call should be better than the umpire who is three feet away, right?).

By this point of the game the score was lopsided, so the umpire couldn't be accused of making either team win or lose. The opposing coach had had enough. At the end of an inning, he walked briskly out of the dugout, raising his voice and pointing his finger at the umpire he began to make a public spectacle of the umpire, venting his frustration over the umpire's inconsistent calls. After a moment, the umpire ejected the coach from the game. The coach had a few more words to say, then more words. He angrily left the field. His walk took him directly in front of the parents and fans of his team. As he walked by they gave him a standing ovation. From that point on, both the fans and the boys in the dugout "rode" the umpire over every perceived wrong ball and strike call. Thankfully the game ended soon, because with each passing moment things seemed to get uglier.

Notice the influence of a coach, a leader? While the coach has no authority over the fans, most coaches are very good about not letting kids talk back to an umpire. That night, the coach's public, verbal tirade taught the kids something that sports is not supposed to teach- disrespect for those in authority. I'm not saying you can never question or talk to an umpire (or any authority) over something with which you disagree. However, there are right and wrong ways to do it.

The parents' standing ovation for the coach "taught" their kids that this kind of disrespect is justified. I wonder how many kids went home that night, disagreed with a "call" their parents were making and exemplified the same disrespect towards them? Then the parents wonder why. Hmmm- we must remember that we reap what we sow. Our actions as parents, coaches, and leaders influence young lives. The older I get, and the more I deal with people and relationships, the more I realize how "authorities" influence.

Therefore, as we are enjoying our sporting events, let's be mindful what we are teaching our kids. Our imprint on their lives can last a lifetime. The "sports moment" will not! They are watching...and learning. God bless- and have a safe summer.