Risk or Rust —A Theology of Sport from Justin Buzzard

Two weeks ago today, I started my 21st year of teaching at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco. This marks my 28th year in the classroom and a Sweet 16 for the course, Sports and Spirituality. Wow.

Justin Buzzard is also the author of a book "Date Your Wife."

This might sound strange, but I still use a textbook.

Strange? you ask. How’s that? The required reading can be found online. Several courses use a collection of articles or journals. But the reader I once used has been replaced by On the Eighth Day: A Catholic Theology of Sport, and it’s far better because of it. Thank you, Drs. Hoven, Carney, and Engel!

Although one of my seniors asked, “Who ever reads the introduction?” I politely informed him that we would—and explained why it’s important. Not only does it explain what the Canadian among the three authors believes God created on the eighth day (his answer is Wayne Gretzky), it defines theology and, more specifically, what a theology of sport is.

The “why” of a theology of sport is the question we will wrestle with from start to finish. I have more than a few answers.

Max and Jay are two of the three authors

The truth is, however, that one need not look long or hard to find one. And my students didn’t have to look very far. An answer—a compelling example—was taking the field just 45 miles south of our campus.

In case you haven’t heard, allow me to introduce you to Justin Buzzard.

Standing 6'2" tall and weighing 210 lbs, Buzzard certainly looks the part. He played football at Whitworth University decades ago—but an injury during his freshman year ended his college playing career. The father of three boys, his eldest son  encouraged him to try football again after seeing a video of a 60 year old man, Tom Green, playing college football. Buzzard spoke with the coaching staff at San Jose City College to determine if he could try out. He underwent conditioning, summer practice and became a Jaguar. Playing at defensive end, he proudly wears the number 48—reflective of the age he will turn in September!

To the surprise of some of my students, Buzzard is also the pastor of Garden City Church (which he founded 15 years ago). He sees his return to football as "an expression of his faith, not separate from it." In an interview on Fox News, Todd Piro asks him, How has your faith and your relationship with God guided you on this journey? He responds,

I think God cares about all of life and not just some separate—religious slice of you and football is a lot of fun and as a man, it's something I love doing. So, as I wrestled and thought through, "Do I really want to do this crazy thing?" I thought "God thinks football is a fun thing." I'm going to go for it and I'm going to enjoy it. I pray a lot that he will protect me from injury. I know what I am doing is high risk. I've been praying big, specific prayers. God, protect me. I want to go the distance and help my team—San Jose City College in anyway that I can. 

If that's not a theology of sport what is?! 

But one person’s personal and practical testimony cannot be the whole story. Fortunately, "On the Eighth Day" gives us some guidelines and guardrails. It defines a theology of sport as “faith seeking understanding, justice, mercy and contemplation in and through sport.” The authors ask: How might play and sport speak to us about God and living the Christian life? Does God care about play? Should people of faith participate in competitive sport? If so, how can their involvement develop a deeper connection to Jesus?

Importantly, the authors describe theology of sport not as a simple transition from theory to practice, but as “a dialogue between sport and faith that is both reflective and critical.”

That dialogue—and the questions it raises in light of both the positives and negatives, consolation and desolation, light and darkness—is the story of this semester.

As a teacher, I make a point of using compare and contrast to help students understand. So I couldn't help but notice another example this past week.

Drew Dougherty at Strake Jesuit in Houston teaches Sport and American Culture. This past week, he welcomed Gary Kubiak, who coached the Denver Broncos to a championship in Super Bowl 50 and also coached the Houston Texans. I wish I could take that class! I would have loved to hear Coach Kubiak speak, and I would love to know what he addressed in light of the course’s themes and essential questions.

I have no doubt there is considerable overlap between our courses. But there is a distinction. Sport and American Culture is not a Religious Studies course. It could certainly ask theological questions, but Sports and Spirituality explicitly asks students to discern the holy and transcendent in everything from a world championship to the daily practice that makes it possible.

Even 16 years later, I think it is a risk for students to take a class like Sports and Spirituality.

They probably love sport. They play it, watch it, celebrate it, argue about it, and sometimes hate it. But asking them to consider how sport connects to their faith—and ultimately to their own lives—is something else entirely. It asks them to risk seeing something familiar in a new way.

And that’s where Justin Buzzard’s motto—risk or rust—becomes more than a clever phrase.

There is a risk in this course: asking questions that don’t have easy answers; bringing something as familiar as sport into a Religious Studies classroom; looking for the holy and transcendent in winning and losing, excellence and failure, competition and community. Most of all, it is the risk of allowing those questions to become personal.

The opening assignment in Sports and Spirituality asks students to name a passage of Scripture, a quote, or a motto that is important to them. What words have shaped them? What do they return to when they need direction, encouragement, perspective, or courage?

Not only did we find an answer to the big questions of the course in Justin Buzzard, we found a motto worth remembering. 

JB: we will keep you and your team in our prayers. Thanks for your words and for taking the risk!

Photo Credits

The Magis: Sports Can Reveal What It Is and What it is Not

The Magis might be the most misunderstood term in all of Ignatian Spirituality. Even the video Do You Speak Ignatian: Terms in Ignatian Spirituality leaves the viewer wanting...well...more (no pun intended here).The website states: 

“Magis,” Latin for “more,” is a key concept in Ignatian spirituality. But while our competitive society often thinks in terms of doing more, magis calls us to depth and quality in what we do. Magis invites us to consider how we can serve the world better, with fire, passion, and zeal. 

A lot of people can do more, but that's not what the Magis asks of us. This term points to how we are called to live and be. To strive for the Magis is to live like Christ, a man who asked His disciples not to throw more nets into the sea, but to cast them deeper. 

Though the Magis might be misunderstood, it might also be the most important those of us in Jesuit education have. Therefore examples and experiences of what it is and what it is not are necessary. The Magis isn't something a student or athlete figures out in an instant; they come to understand, to emulate, to realize over time, with guidance, trial, and error, teaching, and instruction. The Magis is "Our Way of Proceeding" and every pilgrim needs a path and a guide. I hope these examples help.

What it is not
In what was an unusually warm and muggy day for the Bay Area, I asked my returning golfers to play a set number of holes. I would not be with them on the course as I was still working toward finalizing a roster and setting a lineup; I needed to be with the other girls. After repeating how many holes I wanted them to play through, I said, "try to make your way to the van between 5:00 and 5:15, no sooner." 

I could see this group of girls in front of me *potentially* finishing a long hole, a Par-5 (I'm not convinced that they completed their putts). Instead of walking up hill, hustling and getting one final hole in (a Par-3) they turned around to bring it in. I looked at my watch, the time was 4:50. Their decision prompted the group in the back of them to walk back too...which they did...down the middle of the fairway...taking no notice of the final group who was teeing off. Not only was their decision an errant one, it was rude and potentially dangerous.

My blood was boiling. The word "underachievement" was on repeat in my mind. I asked the first group if they got through the holes number of holes I had suggested. To their credit, they admitted they had not and I calmly asked them to head back and finish the Par-3 hole. I instructed the other group to head to a different Par-3 hole and I would meet everyone back at the van when we were done.

By the time we huddled together, I had calmed down. I told my team, "One of the many things I love about St. Ignatius, our school, is the language we have. I love the notion of the Magis. The Magis is to strive for the more...to go deeper....and this is something we have to help one another to achieve. Today is one such day that we did not work toward that. I asked you to play a number of holes within a given amount of time. At one point in this practice, you had a decision to make. You could have hustled and worked to get to that goal, or you could pack it up and bring it in. I'm not looking for a team that is seeking to do the bare minimum. I don't want a group of underachievers. I'm looking for golfers who are athletes...for girls who know it will be ok to be tired at the end of practice (I then added you should be tired at the end)." They understood.

We can always learn what something is by what it is not. Their actions worked against what the Magis seeks. As their coach, it is my responsibility to point out how things could have been different...where we want to go and who we want to be. 

I have goals for my athletes. They have goals as teammates and as competitors. Though golf is an individual sport, we can only achieve our best together. To me, this means encouraging one another...sharing our own gifts and talents, intelligence and abilities to help one another be our best. Jesus' nets were filled by going deep....but rowing into the deep and casting that net into those waters takes insight, patience, encouragement, and faith. Those nets yielded more. I hope and pray we get there.

What it is.

I'll let the story of Christ the King's football team speak for itself, excuse me, for the Magis. Seven students, one dream. Limited facilities, but one year to play tackle football. In a community rife with violence, several young men demonstrate how that energy can be channeled differently. Their teacher and the administrators are rowing with them in deep waters. Together, they dropped their nets...these students were patient, intelligent and worked hard. Look at their yield. Simply said, it's the Magis. 

Our head football coach, who I consider a good friend said without hesitation, I would love to coach those kids. Leading kids to the Magis is a gift. Coaching them....wow. 

Photo Credits
Nets
CTK Football

Every Athlete Can Be Great: Because Every Athlete Can Serve. A new way to do so....Part II

In her book "Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers." Anne Lamott writes, "You've heard it said that when all else fails, follow instructions. So we breathe, try to slow down and pay attention, try to love and help God's other children, and—hardest of all, at least to me—learn to love our depressing, hilarious, mostly decent selves. We get thirsty people water, read to the very young and old, and listen to the sad. We pick up litter and try to leave the world a slightly better place for our stay here." 

There is so much trash in the stands during/after Giants games that seagulls have become a problem.
Giants staff are considering humane ways to treat the problem...owls, fireworks, others.
How about putting your trash away folks?!

I think those instructions are important. We ought to teach them to our youth, model them ourselves and always strive to do a little better, a little more. But, as alluded to in Part I of this blog posting, I wonder why in some domains, picking up litter is a subjective norm. Athletic arenas are one such place. I was however, humbled and inspired by the Mt. Vernon (Washington) football team that decided this reality was to be the answer to an important question put forth by their coach Jay Silver. The full article, by Jason Haddix  is here.

Coach Silver asked “What are we doing beyond winning and losing that gives our community something to be proud of us so that they would want to come and watch us?”

While the question was posed to the players, Silver also pondered the potential answer. As he contemplated what direction to lead his players, he noticed trash being left behind on the Mt. Vernon campus and witnessed people just walking past.

When Silver shared his observations and the conversation he and the players had with his wife, Jamie suggested the team pick up the trash.

Servant Leadership.

“What? You mean after games,” Silver said in response to her suggestion. “To be honest, I thought she was crazy for just suggesting it.”

The challenge was met and the post-game ritual was born.

I am always curious to know the post-game rituals a team employs. Popular traditions include lining up to shake hands with the opposing team, gathering for a team prayer and saluting home fans. Including “service” as part of that process something I had never seen. was new to me. As the Mt. Vernon Bulldogs learned, it was hard to think of creative ways to do so. No precedent had been set.

But the more I thought about it, I said “Why not?” Parents, siblings, teachers, classmates and the larger community give their time to support athletes. Why shouldn’t our athletes give back? And the beauty of this ritual is that, like many others, fans not only took notice, something in them changed too.

Haddix writes, As the Mt. Vernon fans began to take notice of what the players were doing, they began to self-police their own area, which was a welcomed outcome and reflects how a simple gesture can change a culture.

“We really don’t have to clean up our area where (our fans sit) home or away,” Silver said. “Parents and fans started cleaning that up on their own. As a way to help, they are cleaning up on their own before we get to it.”

Silver indicated it was not only the Friday night fans and players who were impacted. He witnessed the junior varsity, freshmen and even a Mt. Vernon youth football program going to the seating area and picking up trash after their games as well."

And what might be the best part of this story is that it serves as evidence that our programs are about much more than winning and losing. We say it so often—it is near cliché. Regardless, I truly believe the purpose of an athletics program, (especially in amidst a Catholic community) is transformation. This post-game ritual allowed for that. 

The NFHS article states, “Picking up trash is not always the easiest. Silver recalled a heartbreaking road loss when the coaches didn’t say anything to the players about going into the stands. After the post-game speech, the coaching staff instead told the team to go to the locker room and change, then get to the bus.

But, the players’ agenda was a little different.

“The players always surprise you,” Silver said. “We talked for a minute as a coaching staff and when we turned around they were up (in the stands) doing it already without anybody telling them to.”

Indeed, service can be a postgame ritual. “For some players, picking up the garbage around the bleachers is about more than just cleanliness, it is about self-reflection."

“Going and taking care of the trash helped me reflect on the game, just kind of, ‘What are we here for?’” Mt. Vernon offensive lineman Josiah Nelson told The Everett (Washington) Daily Herald. “You realize there is another football game. I need to think about what I’m doing in this game and take of it in the next one.”

But this ritual became much, much more. Transformation was and never is limited to one student athlete or one team. In the act of service, parents, teachers, coaches and the larger community changed too.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said Everybody can be great….because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.

And as the Mt. Vernon Bulldogs proved that can be at unlikely times, in unlikely ways.  It all just starts with a question…What are we doing beyond winning and losing? How are we serving others? How can we be great...!

 Photo Credits

 Mt. Vernon HS
"Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers"

When Did You Start Out Slow? Thank you Apollos Hester

The 2014 high school football season is now complete. At the gym this morning, guys were talking about who won the state title this past weekend. As they did, I thought about the journey the coaches, players and their families took to get there. A pigskin on the gridiron isn't possible without the sacrifice of many people to make it happen.

Thank you Alex for your great question

So I guess it's fitting that I love the invitation every conclusion of a season brings. It is one to look back and push "rewind." I ask myself: What were the highlights? The joys and surprises? What were missed opportunities? Where did we fail? Where did we make necessary changes? What do we need to do between now and the beginning of next year to get better?

One question I've never asked myself ifs this one: "When have you started out slow?"

This unusual question was brought to my attention by one of my beloved students, Alex. At the beginning of each Sports and Spirituality class, one senior leads prayer, writes a  journal question for his/her classmates on the board and then has the option of connecting the prompt to a video. Those familiar with the video, which is actually post-game interview, had some understanding for why we were addressing this question. Those who had yet to see it, related Alex's prompt to something much different. 

Apollos Hester, a senior wide receiver for the East View (Texas) Patriots was interviewed after 42-41 defeat of Vandegrift High School.  And Deadspin nails its importance in writing, "The conversation got deep pretty quickly. You'll feel like you can do anything after listening to Hester."

All right, well, at first we started slow, we started real slow, and you know, that's all right, that's OK, because sometimes in life, you're gonna start slow. That's OK. We told ourselves, 'Hey, we're gonna start slow, we're gonna keep going fast. We're gonna start slow, but we're always, always gonna finish fast. No matter what the score was, we're gonna finish hard, we're gonna finish fast. 

Yeah, they had us the first half, I'm not gonna lie, they had us. We weren't defeated, but they had us. But it took guts, it took an attitude—that's all it takes. That's all it takes to be successful is an attitude. And that's what our coach told us. He said, 'Hey, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough. It's gonna be hard. You're gonna go out there, you're gonna battle, you're gonna fight, you're gonna do it for one another. Do it for each other, you're gonna do it for yourself, you're gonna do it for us, and you're gonna go out with this win.' And we believed that, we truly did. And it's an awesome feeling.  

In today's society is is ever more challenging to believe that is's OK to start off slow. Like Veruca Salt in "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," too often we find ourselves screaming (even if it's just inside) "I want it now Daddy!"

I continually try to remind myself that "haste makes waste" and "good things come to wait." And I loved hearing shared wisdom from this young person. It's important to be reminded that in life sometimes we are going to start of slow. And I would say it's more than "sometimes;" I think it's often. But again, that's OK.

In his book "Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion" Greg Boyle writes a chapter simply titled "Slow Work." He writes Teilhard de Chardin wrote that we must "trust in the slow work of God." Ours is a God who waits. Who are we not to? It takes what it takes for the great turnaround. Wait for it.”

My students "get it." In fact, they are almost relieved to know that God works this way. In the world and in their lives. It's just too hard to keep up. The Lord God invites us to choose otherwise.

In the Advent season, this is what we are continually reminded to do—to wait and to trust. The world presents a Christmas season that starts out anything but slow, but again, we are reminded "that's OK."

Boyle concludes this chapter by writing "And you hope, and you wait, for the light—this astonishing light." In the final days before Christmas, I invite you to think of the same questions that we ought to ask ourselves at the conclusion of a season—and this season might be Advent or the 2014 year. One question to add to that list is Alex's..."When did you start out slow?" 

Photo Credits
Slow work