What a sports team represents

“My hockey coach” is an interesting phrase. I could mean my old coaches but I don’t. I mean the coach of the Calgary Flames Hockey club. Bob Hartley is my coach. We in Calgary love this guy and we love the team. In Edmonton they can’t say the same thing. This fever about my team and coach has got me thinking: we need a sports team to rally a city or nation.

            Why do I feel that Bob is my coach? I don’t know him, but really I do. I never played for him but really I have. You see the fan plays for the team too. We cheer to spur them on. We yell to make them better. Fans argue, fight, chastise, and sing praises for our team. We are all in the sport together. In gladiator days the fan played a role. They cheered the fate of the contestant. There were thumbs up and thumbs down.

            The Calgary Stampeders just won the CFL Grey Cup (oldest cup by the way at 102 years). We love coach Hufnagel and the boys. The Flames in 89 won us our only Stanley cup (second oldest cup). Everyone around the world loves and hates their sports team. It gives us something in common. A Jew, Muslim, and a Christian have little to be friends about but we can all talk about the love of our sports team.

            What does God have to say about the team? Jesus would have played for the Flames. They are the best (just kidding sort of). Jesus would not have played for the Leafs (they suck sort of). When Jesus started his ministry he gathered 12 men on his team. He did not just pick 2 or 3: he needed a team. Peter was the quarterback and Thomas the kicker. God guided 12 boys as the team of Israel. They represented 12 nations. In each case the coach was God or Jesus. The Holy Spirit is designed to hold the team and its fans together.

            The Goal is to win one for the fans or the team. Individuals do great things but they all do it for the team. Those that do it for themselves or the money usually fail. It’s told that they are not good team players. Think of Judas to Jesus. He did it for the money and betrayed Jesus: not a team player. The other day Coach Bob won his 400 game in the NHL. The players gave him the Fireman’s hat as the hardest working Flame. He tried to say no it’s for the players, but his team (our team) insisted.

            Our teams are dear to us. They help the economy just as much as our confidence. Edmonton fans and players are depressed right now: they say so. Calgary teams are on a high. Why did Edmonton put up a sign “city of champions” some years ago? Why did someone deface it recently: the team matters that’s why? How often do fans say “oh I don’t want to talk about them.” These days it’s all Calgary talks about. The city has the team in common. In 2010 Canada’s Men’s Olympic Hockey team won gold. The nation went nuts. Each province does not really care much for the other but with a national team it’s different.

            When it’s time to build a stadium, don’t say no. Find a way to be involved with your city sports teams. They bind us uncommon people together. When we play the sports we love, we dream of being the star. As a fan we love and hate our stars. They give us hope and dreams of success and winning. They help us forget the troubled times. We remember where we were when our team wins. No matter if your Black, white, religious, or a criminal in jail, we all can band together to cheer our team. It might even be nice if we thought of the human race in those terms one day.