Ball Game Question

[prv31wife]

Hello Everyone,
I noticed in several posts since joining this board that some of you object to ball games and I was wondering why. I personally don't like sports because, well baseball, football etc are(in my opinion) boring. I used to watch the SuperBowl with my friends years ago and could never understand the game for one thing and secondly I just couldn't understand what was so exciting about trying to have control of a funny shaped ball.
Basketball? I don't see anything wonderful about watching someone throw a ball into a hoop. Now I realize I will step on the toes of thebrothers here who like these things but I guess I'm just wondering why it is something Christians shouldn't get involved in.
I get concerned because my eldest loves baseball mostly. Any input would be helpful.

[Brother Ben]

I would like to say right from the start that there is nothing wrong with a ball game. It is just that, a game. However, in the society we live in people become infatuated with the game, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or any other thing, (hockey, etc.) When supervised children play a nice game of ball, it can be a fun time to learn team work and having a good spirit at all costs.

Let me tell you a story. We went to a big IFB church that was so big they could have their own little league team, as to not intermingle little Oswald with the worldlings. Boy did I get a big eye openner. I would have been better off putting my son in the secular ball league because I would have easier understood the ungodly win at all costs attitude. I must interject, my friend Thomas coaches secular little league and he insists on good attitudes, team work, and ALL players get to play.

My son was not very athletic at that time, but he wanted to play ball with the other boys. I watched as time after time, the (carnal) coach would pass my son up for the boys that were the heavy hitters. I wasn't going to do it again, but the next year his coach was going to be a godly man I respected who had been a pastor. He caved in to parentaly pressure (to win some games) and over-looked the less athelitic boys. What a shame.

Competition is one thing, but when it becomes a spirit of "besting" the others, thus putting yourself at the top of the heap, I don't like it. So if young people can have a clean game and maintain godliness, I'm for it, but I can't stand anything that reaks of worldliness.

The American sports scene has gone down the tubes. Drugs, alcohol, steroids, gambling, immoral scandals, in the news almost every day. Forget it. I'd rather have a farmer!

Bro. Ben

[Deleted]

I'd like to share our sports story; maybe it will help someone? My 8 year old son was very good at gymnastics. He was in it for about a year and got pretty far. We were SLAVES to the gym. We were there 3 days a week 4 hours each time, but knew that next year it would be 4 days and then 5 days .. with the hours required going up at each level. He decided on his own that he was done with gymnastics I could tell it was a very hard choice for him because he was crying when he told me. I asked him why he wanted to quit - he said it's just too worldly. He did not like spending so much time practicing with a bunch of boys who might corrupt him and did not like that it was so self-glorifying. He also knew that the longer he stayed in, the more our lives would revolve around it. Most of all though, he did not like being away from home and eating supper alone half the week - he missed his brother and sister. This all came from no where - I had no idea he was even thinking such things (yet at the same time so was I!). He said he was praying about it for a while!! (so was I!) I didn't even know he prayed so deeply. His coach was so sad to see him go (he had the best boys coach in the USA - literally) and was top of his team next to one other boy in their level. His team mates were all shocked too - but Corban was not afraid to say why he was quitting. I don't want to forget to mention how much $$$ we had to spend on it as well. At his level, we were paying quite a bit each month. At the second highest level, one of the parents told me they spent $15k last season. Oh my. I am so thankful the Lord layed this on Corban's heart now before he got too far into it. I had no idea it could cost that much. Needless to say, as our convictions have been changing, so have our activities. If we cannot do it as a family, we do not do it at all.
Anyway, friendly games of ball and all that are fine, but anything more than that can get very scary.