The National Football League has become less than the pinnacle of excellence. It seems like not that long ago, the NFL was the example for all the other leagues in regards to reaching fans and promoting the positivity of its players.
Recent situations have brought about a lot of questions about the role of the league in our society, the responsibility of athletes, and the glorification of sports in America.
One of the primary issues right now is that the NFL is running strictly as a business. The Vikings putting Adrian Peterson on the exempt list several weeks ago is key evidence of this. A day after they held a big press conference showing their support for him by reinstating him after taking a game off, Radisson withdrew its sponsorship because it said it didn’t condone Peterson’s actions.
Arguably, the Ravens are doing the same thing, protecting their image and sponsorships by terminating Ray Rice’s contract around the same time.
Ultimately, the NFL has been a PR machine running around in circles trying to cover their bases. When the footage of Ray Rice and his then-fiancée inside the elevator was released to the public, Roger Goodell freaked out and insisted that he hadn’t seen the footage. There is no way he hadn’t seen the footage, unless the NFL is even more incompetent than it already appears.
Another problem surrounding the NFL is the glorification of sport. Currently, athletes are not just role models. They are gods. What other profession do we wear the uniforms with pride? It would be comical to see somebody wearing khakis and a blue polo with a nametag for his favorite salesman at Best Buy. Charles Barkley once famously said, “I am not a role model.” This is silly because as a public figure, of course he is somebody kids look up to. However, what our society has done has replaced home values with glorification of the celebrity lifestyle. We expect athletes to be these picture perfect people, but in reality, we are all fallen.
Perhaps another reason that Adrian Peterson is being so criticized for his discipline methods is because parenting is not taken as seriously as it once was. So even though at one point in time spanking a child was perfectly acceptable, now, it is horrendous to think of physically disciplining a child. The rise of shows like Super Nanny and even Celebrity Wife Swap have shown how parenting has transformed from an essential aspect of society to an art form that can be used for entertainment.
What is perhaps saddest about the Adrian Peterson situation is that he seemed to finally get his life on track. A recent article from ESPN said how, after the death of his son, he realized that he needed to take his faith seriously. He got married and is being mentored by a local pastor. The allegations of child abuse are from May so why are they being brought forward months later?
It is hard to imagine what is going through Peterson’s mind. How discouraging it must be to be feeling confident that you are finally following God full-heartedly, and then have this come crashing down. Ephesians says that we do not fight flesh and blood, but powers that cannot be seen. We can’t know the motives behind these allegations. We can’t know Roger Goodell’s or the Minnesota Vikings’ reasoning in not allowing him to play. But we can know that as children of God, we have an enemy who tries tirelessly destroy our faith in our Heavenly Father.
As Christians, we need to remember who we are because of Christ’s grace alone. What separates us from beating our wives in an elevator or beating our child with a branch? Or, as I’m writing this now, I’m processing now, what separates us from money consuming us or running around frantically like Roger Goodell? The answer is simple: God’s grace.
This does not mean that we just shrug off these issues and hope these people find Jesus. Although yes, we should have the heart that God wants all people to come to him, but I think we need to reinforce our values at home. In retrospect, I think the Michael Vick situation was handled very well. He got a break from football, was able to connect to people who shared the Gospel with him, and now, with a new identity as a man of God, he is a father, husband, and football player. I don’t know what the answers are for Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, or Roger Goodell, but I’m confident that God does.
