Does God Care About Football?

"God is too good, all the time, man. Every time...God has prepared me for these situations. God has prepared our team as well," Seattle quarterback, Russell Wilson, said after an emotional victory over Green Bay last week.

It's not very arbitrary to hear an athlete thank a deity for a win. Whether it was Tim Tebow in Denver (or University of Florida-take your pick), Austin Collie at BYU in 2008, there have been athletes that firmly believe their religion played a part in their victory. To them, God doesn't only care about their health. He cares about whether or not they win the game.

Then, there are athletes that still believe in God, but believe a football game really is just a game.

"I don't think God cares at all about the outcome. He cares about the people involved, but I don't think that he's a big football fan," Green Bay quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, said after the heartfelt speech given by Wilson.

Now, I don't profess to be any kind of religious leader or theological expert, but I believe in God. I practice my religion. It's been a pretty big part of my life since high school. In fact, I spent a couple of years in Cincinnati knocking on doors and telling people about it. I know that my faith in God has shaped who I am today and has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. There is no denying that.

My faith has helped me with my educational and career choices. Faith has not only helped me strengthen my marriage, but it helped me choose the right girl. I can confidently say that, had it not been for my faith, I would not have been in the right place in the right time to get a certain job or even meet my wife. To me, God has played a big role in a lot of good things that have happened.

At the same time, I haven't gotten everything I've wanted. Remember how I said faith has played a pretty big part of my life since high school? Well, I didn't play on a state championship football team. I felt like we were pretty good kids, too. None of us got in too much trouble. We would pray as a team before games. Our coaches were pretty good guys. They sent us to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) camps during the summer and even had a preacher speak to us before games. Yet, we would still get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. I doubt those teams won because they were more faithful or because God cares about them more. They won because they had more talent than our team. Though we had a few guys that went on to play college ball, and one even to the NFL, we were a scrappy bunch. And, other teams were a bit more athletic. It's just that simple.

That's why I have a hard time when I hear an athlete say that God gave them a win. The opposing team can have players just as faithful. Did God give them a loss? Does He love them less? What about the other players on your team that may not be faithful? Does God just let the cheaters and blasphemers slide because of your faith? No. God just doesn't care about football. He may have helped you keep the motivation to get to that point because it is important to you. But, it just doesn't make sense to say that God gave you a win. There are just too many fallacies that come with that logic.

I still think Russell Wilson and Tim Tebow are good dudes. They are the kind of people that don't just talk about faith. They live it. So, this post isn't me calling them out. I just disagree with the notion that God cares about who wins a football game. That's not to say that God doesn't help athletes. He wants them to be healthy. He wants them to be able to support their families and loved ones. He can help them reach a certain status to be a good role model or have a positive impact on society. But, I don't think he cares whether or not the Seahawks win the Super Bowl.

This is just my opinion. Like I said, I'm no theological scholar. Who knows? Maybe God does care, and the winners of these games really do matter in the grand scheme of things. But, I highly doubt that.

There is one thing I agree with Russell Wilson on 100%, and that is, "God is too good, all the time."

Midseason Reaction/ Adjusted Predictions

At the beginning of the season, I predicted that the NBA Finals would come down to Cleveland and OKC. It made sense. LeBron James and Kevin Love were headed to the Cavs. The Spurs were getting old, making room for Kevin Durant and Co. to take the West. And, with all due respect to Steve Kerr, I would take veteran coach Scott Brooks over a rookie coach any day. Golden State was just a playoff team in my opinion.

Then, the season began. And, man, was I wrong.

The Thunder were plagued by injuries very early on. Without KD and Russell Westbrook, two guys that can easily make an argument for being the top two players in the league, for the first couple of months, the Thunder looked like they weren't going to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Cavs just couldn't play together. LeBron took a few weeks off due to the wear and tear on his knees, and Cleveland dipped below .500. 

But, out in California, Golden State is dominating. It turns out that rookie coach Steve Kerr is doing a fine job. Steph Curry is playing on an MVP level and Klay Thompson just set the record for most points scored in one quarter. They have the best record in the league with only six losses. They may not be on track to claim the record for most wins in a season right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if the pass the 1996 Bulls team.

In the Eastern Conference, Atlanta is a powerhouse. Currently on a 15 game winning streak, I don't think the Hawks have played on this level since Dominique Wilkins was in his prime. Though I'm happy with the young team the Jazz have right now, I sure do miss Paul Millsap. Good for him, though. His team may take the East.

So, will I change my opinion of who will be in the Finals?

Maybe, but  that will be kind of hard to do. 

You see, the Thunder and the Cavs are still great teams. And, guess what? They're just heating up. 

Though both teams dipped under .500 for little bit, both squads are showing why their players are considered the best teams in the league. They've worked their way above .500. Cleveland is on a five game winning streak, including a 39 point blowout against Charlotte. LeBron is back to MVP caliber, helping Love and Kyrie Irving better assets to the team. The Thunder were on a four game streak, until losing to the Hawks. With Durant and Westbrook back, the Thunder have earned their way back to second place in their division. Cleveland and OKC have great players, and great players overcome adversity. One can argue that's what makes these guys great. 

Due to the outstanding play of Golden State and Atlanta coupled with the resurgence of Oklahoma City and Cleveland, I would like to adjust my playoff prediction. 

Western Conference Finals: OKC & Golden State        

Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland & Atlanta

Finals: Cleveland & Golden State

Champs: Golden State

It will be hard for anybody to outplay Golden State right now. I think they will take OKC in 6 games. However, those 6 games won't be easy. I'm expecting Kevin Durant to play with a passion we've never seen before. But, it won't be enough. Golden State is a more complete team than OKC. 

As great as Atlanta is this season, they still have some growing pains to go through. And, the last time LeBron didn't play in June was in 2010. The Cavs are finally starting to click and play as a team. I don't think it is far fetched at all to predict they will beat Atlanta. It may take 7 games, but they'll take care of business. 

Golden State will win the Finals because Golden State will win the Finals. They are just too good to put up an argument otherwise. Though the Cavs are finally clicking, no team is prepared to face the Warriors.

It's been an exciting season thus far. I'm sure there will be more surprises. For all I know, my predictions might completely change once the postseason actually begins. 

The Patriots Are A Shame

A few minutes ago, I got a text from buddy of mine. It read, "Did you just get that ESPN notification? The Patriots had 11 of their 12 balls under-inflated."

I had to turn off Friends (it's a nightly ritual with my wife that's better than watching The Bachelor, okay?) and pop open my laptop. Sure enough, my Twitter feed had exploded with the latest opinions on "DeflateGate." Rightfully so, Bill Belicheck and Co. are being called cheaters. And, for once, I'm with the majority opinion. 

I'll be honest, when I first heard the deflated ball rumors, I was convinced they were exactly that-rumors. I thought the Pats were better than that. Besides, it seems like everybody these days wants to point fingers at the refs or the opponents to blame for their loss. It reminded me of how everybody was up in arms during the Lions-Cowboys game a few weeks ago with that controversial pass interference reversal. Fans were simply blowing something out of proportion that shouldn't be. 

However, as this rumor persisted, with pretty boy Tom Brady denying the balls being deflated all the while, it was apparent that something was different about this scandal. And, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported, there is substance to it. NFL sources have informed him that the balls were indeed deflated. 

I understand that the Pats probably would have still beaten the Colts. That AFC Championship was a joke, and Indianapolis didn't look like they even belonged on the same field as New England. But, what about the Baltimore game? What about all of their close games for that matter? Would they have won had they not been cheating? 

Let's not forget about the Spygate scandal a few years back. This team has a history of cheating. They don't deserve to be in the Super Bowl. If I were Roger Goodell, I'm putting Baltimore or Indianapolis up against the Seahawks. I'm banning team management and Belicheck from football. After all, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on his team. It's about time that the NFL shows some backbone and takes care of these clowns. 

Okay, that whole banning bit may have been a little bit overboard, but you get the picture, right? I still don't think they should be allowed to play in the Super Bowl. I'm not changing my stance on that. In all seriousness, there needs to be some kind of investigation with that organization. Any time that a team has more than one cheating scandal in less than ten years, they need to be investigated. What else have they done, or could be doing? They could have been cheating during every single one of their championship runs. I'm sorry, but I just don't trust one word that comes out of Belicheck and Brady's mouth anymore. Also, there should really be some kind of investigation on the refs. How could they not tell that the balls were deflated? The only reason that it has all been brought to light was because of an Indianapolis interception. Are the refs really that clueless?

I just hate cheaters. Always have, and always will. There is no room for cheating in sports. Those who do cheat should pay the price. 

That's why I'm glad they are facing Seattle. If they aren't punished, Seattle is going to lay a whooping on them much worse than what the Pats put on the Colts. And, guess what? They don't need to break the rules. 

Kobe Today

I remember the first time I saw Kobe Bryant on TV. The year was 1997. I was about seven years old, and obsessed with the art of dunking. My favorite thing about All-Star Weekend was the Dunk Contest. I remember being taken back by the acrobatic dunks by this bald, eighteen year old with a Laker jersey. It was amazing to watch. Though I was obsessed with Michael Jordan, I started keeping tabs on Kobe. There were rumors about MJ retiring. I figured that I needed to jump on some other bandwagon. Later that season, I hopped off the Kobe bandwagon. He wasn’t all I hyped him up to be in mind. He was a bench player that shot air balls in big games.

A year later, a new Kobe Bryant emerged as an integral member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He stole the show at the 1998 All Star Game. It was exciting to watch him play, and perhaps that was the birth of a star. It was almost as if the audience was watching a passing of the torch, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant. The next year, after Jordan retired, I hopped back on the Kobe bandwagon and found myself rooting for him and Shaq year after year (I know, it took me a while to learn team loyalty-but I’m a Jazz fan now, so that has to count for something).

Now, here we are, about fifteen years later. Kobe has won 5 titles, 1 regular season MVP, 2 Finals MVP’s, 4 All Star Game MVP’s, and has been on the All-Defensive and All-Offensive first teams multiple times. He’s been named the greatest Laker in history by Magic Johnson. An argument can be made that Los Angeles should retire both numbers that he has worn.

Yet, he still plays as though he has something to prove.

That’s an admirable trait. Some players seem to lose their competitive edge once they reach a certain age, but not Kobe. Much like Michael Jordan, he gives his all every night on the floor. It is nice to see the effort, the drive, the will to win. The assassin attitude is something that analyst Stephen A. Smith says he has only seen in one other person, MJ himself.

However, he isn’t what he once was. Though his average of 22 PPG is still impressive by most standards, it isn’t leading the league in scoring. In fact, the last time Kobe averaged less than 24 was in the 1999-2000 season (I don’t count last season-he was out for the majority of it). And, really, how much are those points help his team? The Lakers are near the bottom of the Western Conference, with a 12-29 record that is only better than the 7-32 Timberwolves.

I understand that basketball is a team sport, and if the likes of Jeremy Lin and Nick Young picked up their game, they would be playing better. But, the thing is, if you are relying on two decent bench players to lead your team with a 36 year old former superstar, it can be hard to win, especially in a tough conference like the West.

The worst part about it all is Los Angeles had the money to get some decent money to give to lure guys like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love. But, they didn’t want to offer superstar money to anybody other than Kobe Bryant. They had guys like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, but Kobe seems to have driven them away. I know, Pau says it wasn’t Kobe, but LA didn’t bend over backwards to keep Gasol. They’ve fired coaches and traded players to keep Kobe happy.

Now, organization has imploded. There is a big question mark on when and how they will bounce back and become the dynasty they once were.

The first step is for Kobe to accept who he now is: a role player at best. Once he accepts that he is no longer the dominant 25 year old that he once was, the Lakers will begin to rebuild. That means he needs to be accepting of other stars on the team. That means he needs to accept less money so LA can offer big cash to high-profile free agents. Until that happens, Los Angeles will miss the playoffs. That is almost a guarantee.

Kobe Bryant has nothing left to prove. But, if he wants his team to win again, he needs to accept his new role. True winners do everything they can to win, and that includes being open to talent from others. Nobody wins alone. Even Michael had Scottie. Even Magic had Kareem. And, even Kobe had Shaq.

It is a very sad day for Los Angeles if he has forgotten that.