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Loyalty and Sports

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

Loyalty can be described as using difficult times to demonstrate commitment to those being served. This character trait has been seemingly diminishing in our recent times as it relates to sports. From time to time you hear a lack of commitment on all levels of team and individual athletics. In Ohio high school athletics there has always been a problem with recruiting and transfer students. There was one basketball season in particular when a player actually played in the game right before the Christmas break with one team. He then suited up and played for another school right after the break against the same team he played against before the break. Loyalty? Where? Commitment? Two masters. There are several legitimate reasons for a player or family to transfer schools. The issue in this isolated example is when did the player decide to change schools? The original school obviously didn’t have a clue because I seriously doubt that they would play a player leaving during the next two weeks. Where was the commitment to the coach or the teammates of school number one? How open should the arms be when he arrives at school number two? I am sure that the new team will just feel the loyalty oozing from their new teammate, as they work toward a successful second half of the season. The fact is he not only earned the opportunity to sit on the bench of his new team in two weeks, but also earned playing time as well. Powerful message sent by team number two.

The second scenario deals with loyalty on the collegiate level. In regards to the terms “oral commitment” and “letter of intent” there are a few abuses. When you commit to a college, either verbally or in writing, your loyalty should begin immediately. You should be a man or woman of your word irregardless of several circumstances that might create difficult times. Definitely your commitment should be binding if you sign on the dotted line. What sometimes follows is a grocery store list of things that are often viewed as legitimate reasons to be disloyal or unfaithful. Feelings that you, as a freshman, are just as good as the upper classman start to creep in your mind. Why are they playing more? They are playing more because they have proven a higher degree of loyalty and commitment. If you leave you are only reinforcing the decision to play the older player. Let’s say the coach is either fired or leaves to take another job. The commitment is to the school who is paying anywhere from $60 to $100 thousand dollars for your education. That’s what you signed up for and they deserve your loyalty.

Another example deals with people receiving illegal inducements that potentially will hurt the team and the university. You can not serve two masters! Almost always, says the scripture, one of the masters is money. Money is not the root of all evil. That scripture has been misquoted for years and that interpretation has lead to many misunderstandings. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. This merely states that if the master you chose to serve is money or evil, then you will despise and/or hate the goodness that is received from positive characteristics like loyalty and commitment. Too many people believe that loyalty is something that is contingent on someone or something being loyal to them. Well somebody told you wrong! Once you commit, loyalty should be given just because you chose to commit. The person or organization may or may not appear to be loyal in return because there service may or may not be to only you. You maintain your loyalty because it is right, not only when you feel that the loyalty is being returned. It is critical to hold to the goodness that comes from these attributes. Serve and love the characteristics of The Master—God.

                                                                              Fred Tudor

Fred Tudor is a eighteen year employee of the Cincinnati Public Schools as a Health and Physical Education teacher. He has been coaching at the high school level in Greater Cincinnati since graduating from Wittenberg University in 1979. His coaching stints includes stops at his alma mater Walnut Hills High School, Hughes Center High School, and from 1990 until present coaches at Wyoming High School. His church home is Cincinnati Bibleway Church in Madisonville, Apostles James and Grace Blue Pastors.

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