Of Faith and Football

   
    Football is here once again! Oh yes! Tonight, I just got finished watching the Super Bowl champs New Orleans Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings 14-9 in the NFL season opener. At this time of the year, optimism reigns for each long-suffering fan. I myself am hoping that this is the year that my Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl. The Eagles boast a potent offense with fast wide receivers who can make explosive plays at any time. However, they are young and are starting a talented but inexperienced quarterbak in Kevin Kolb.

    I came to love this sport when I was a child. Growing up, I lived near Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. When the Tennessee Vols had a game, I was able to watch thousands of orange-clad fans walking to the stadium. Sometimes we were able to get tickets and watch the game live. The experience of being with over 90,000 screaming and cheering people is something I will always remember. I also loved the marching band. The form a giant T and the crowd roars as the football players run trough the T and into the sidelines.



    I also watched all the NFL games on TV. Super Bowl XV was the first championship game I watched on TV. It was also the first time that I experienced heart break because my beloved Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders by a score of 27-10. Since then, I've always followed football closely. Now, I have discovered that the game is a rich source of stories that pertain to the Christian life. So starting this season, I'd like to also blog about faith and football.

    This year's NFL #1 draft pick is Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, a former quarterback from the University of Oklahoma. He will start at quarterback for the St. Luis Rams. He faces a big challenge. The Rams are in the process of rebuilding and many are expecting them to have a losing year. They simply need to infuse and develop more talent in order to become perennial contenders. Bradford is also going against history. Many first round draft pick quarterbacks have turned out to be busts in the NFL. I'm hoping that the rookie succeeds and goes on to have a fine career. His faith and dependence on God have been the key to his success in the college game. God bless you Sam and hope that your debut goes well this Sunday.




Next time, I'll write on Tim Tebow....