Moving the Goalposts

Tom: That's a stat? Assists to mid-range jump shots?

Tim: (Laughing) Yes.

Tom: Easy, nerds!

I was listening to the Golden State Warriors radio call with Tim Roye and Tom Tolbert, while walking my dogs at night. One of my favorite features of the MLB, NHL and NBA subscription services is access to their radio broadcasts on the apps. I can listen to the home or away call for all the games from their home market. I love live sports (mostly American)! I keep time throughout the day by sports talk radio shows. When 400 PM rolls around on weekdays, I put the early hockey, basketball or baseball game on my tablet at work. I remember dates and days of the week because of games, matches or bouts. One might say I'm religious about my sports. I've found over the years that while I certainly enjoy watching games on television, I get as much or more enjoyment from listening to the radio calls. There's something nostalgic about it and I remember sitting in the family station wagon with my father, listening to Cincinnati Reds games. I have two televisions now, but we grew up without one. Perhaps, I'm old fashioned. I like my sports on the radio and unadulterated by public opinion.

Tom Brady, the quarterback for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is 43 years old. Tom Brady played in his fourteenth Conference Championship a week ago. Tom Brady is going to compete in his tenth Super Bowl in a week. Some would argue Tom Brady is the standard-bearer of the League. I would argue Tom Brady has been the among the chief beneficiaries of standard-changing in Sports. I must admit there's something unequaled about TB12. Perhaps the talking heads have highlighted the attractive facets, but not the most obvious ones. In the two decades that Tom has been in the NFL, the higher-ups, in an effort to increase player safety, have stacked the rules against defensive play. Most fans of football would likely agree the game has become "softer" and has bent in favor of the offense and quarterbacks. This has incrementally increased the value of the position to the degree that the most decorated QB has been touted sports' greatest athlete. That is absurd! Perhaps, I'm old-fashioned. The modern rule changes and individual attention have sullied our perspective of football.

I was scolded recently by my eldest daughter. This is something that has happened a few times before, allowing me to be more receptive and gracious. She cited that I'm too harsh and have unrealistic standards. I was told that I treat all my children unfairly and I'm not a good parent. I calmly asked for an example and she got angry and stormed away, yelling that I don't understand. It harkened to many similar incidents with my bride. I later told her I understood that she thinks I'm too harsh when I speak to her, then applauded her decision to speak her mind. I let her know that when she's ready to listen to me, I have a response. She's right; sometimes, I'm harsh, unfair and bad at parenting. None of those things change our situation. She's still the daughter, with a hell of a lot less life experience. I'm still the dad with a desire for her to know God and practice discipline. Our relationship is founded on a storied standard. Perhaps, I'm old-fashioned. I like my family molded after the kingdom of God: faithfully hopeful through dispute and trial.

I think the relationship between people and sports is also founded on a storied standard. From what I can gather, all the way back to the Greek Olympians and probably before that, sport has been a type of figurehead bastion for meritocracy, discipline, consistency and solidarity. These are principles that have long drawn the human soul. Couple that with the opportunity to prove oneself, the stage to best another, the desire to compete and the thrill of victory to understand its draw on the psyche. I’ve often heard Sports labeled a microcosm of real life. It's been said, "Many can be good. Only one can be the best." That is a standard that demolishes participation trophies and modern tendency. There's been a lot of discussion, dispute and pushback regarding sports intersecting with politics. Due to our overwhelming desire to be relevant, to conquer, to excel and be celebrated, humans are very good at moving goalposts. I think sports mixed with politics is not and never has been the problem, rather Sports allowed society to change its standards. Outside pressure and shaming has brought about significant relocating of the goalposts.

My boss calls them "snowflakes". You know, the folks that say they're offended by everything. I laugh every time I hear him say it. I tell my kids, You can't choose the way you feel, but you CAN make a choice. I recognize that being offended probably starts out as a feeling, but I believe it is a function of a personal choice. You see, feeling offended is a belief that you are the target of the offense, betraying conceit and, almost always, misevaluation of another's motives. The challenge is that offended people choose to move the goalposts in order to feel less offended. Solomon wrote, There’s nothing new on this earth. Year after year it’s the same old thing. Does someone call out, “Hey, this is new”? Don’t get excited—it’s the same old story. (From Ecclesiastes 1 in the Bible, The Message) These recent generations aren’t the first to reposition the goalpost, but the standard has always been holiness: whole or in a right relationship with our Creator. The path to holiness was finished through fulfillment of prophecy in the Messiah, who became the standard-bearer and the last required sacrifice. We don’t need to move the goalpost to feel better about ourselves when we don’t measure up. When we change the standard to get those extra wins, more yards or faster times, we simply dilute the very measure by which we desire to hold each other accountable. Admittedly, the standard has been around since long before we came along.

The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt. The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’ The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king. The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy. (From Matthew’s Gospel in the Bible, The Message)

Perhaps, I’m old-fashioned. I'd like to make music like Willie, write like Lewis and call a game like Uecker. I like radio broadcasts, keeping my accounts short, my grace widespread and survival of the fittest. I aim to be a husband that loves his wife and children as Christ loves the Church. This is bakesHere.

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