Sports Fans

Sports fans are so loyal. I should know. I’ve been a Chicago Bears fan for 30 years.

Please. I’m alright. You see, I have hope.

Interesting thing about fans: they weather bad season after losing season. “Next season!”, is their annual mantra.

The Chicago Bears’ record over the last 30 years is 264-216. That’s a winning percentage of 55%. Not great, but not bad.

But for a sports fan – it doesn’t matter at all! Why?

Sports fans study the stats, team roster, draft picks, and who’s on injured reserve. If they can get close enough, they’ll even tell the manager how to run the team.

Just listen to the folks at work on Monday mornings, following a big game. Monday’s the day all the experts are out and about.

Yes, sports fans are a strange breed. They can be so frustrated and even angry (to the point of throwing pillows, books, TV remotes, etc.) about a certain play someone did or didn’t do; yet they still wear the team colors.

Amazing!

And when they talk with others, they say phrases like, “We sure beat up on those Vikes yesterday!” Or, “We really need to get a new coach and quarterback!”

Notice the way sports fans talk; it’s as though THEY own the team. Or like they put on the pads, or swing the bat every week.

Sports fans.

I’ve got a Jay Cutler doll I won from a “claw machine”. For a while I let him watch the games with me for good luck. Ha! I finally banished him to the deep, dark recesses of my basement. It was either that or I was going to start sticking long needles into him.

Yes, the basement was the better choice.

But I’m a fan! A real, live sports fan. I can talk sports smack with the best of them. And even though my team’s record was 5-11 this year, I still am able to say it loud and proud: Next year!

Yep. A strange breed of cat. Sports fans.

And as a sports fan, I believe husbands and wives should be as loyal to each other as sports fans are to their teams. Instead of trading “teams” after a bad year, learn to say, “Next year will be better.” And then study and prepare, learning all you can in order to improve your “chances” of having a winning marriage the following year.

Imagine the difference we could see in our marriage if we had the patience of a true sports fan. For instance, what if we learned to use the line Oakland Raiders fans have used for years: “We’re rebuilding. It’s gonna take awhile, but with good coaching, good draft picks, hard work, and a lot of patience, a winning team can be built.”

Folks, our marriages are MUCH MORE important than ANY sports team. Even if we really were the owners of a sports team, the team isn’t more important than the marriage.

If we can find it in our hearts to “forgive” our team for making us feel so bad, or embarrass us in front of our family and friends, isn’t it possible we can find enough grace and mercy for our spouse? Come on, you know it’s in there somewhere.

Don’t act like a fair weather fan. Don’t be so quick to trade your spouse simply because they’ve given you a disappointing season. Grow up.

Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to turn things around. But things can improve. There can be better seasons; better years.

Remember, the best is yet to come. When?

Next year, sports fans.

And with God, all things are possible.