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Written by John Marshall, McClatchy-Tribune
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Wednesday, 11 April 2007 |
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Zach Johnson wasn’t more than a couple dozen words into his post-round interview when he started talking about his faith, giving credit to Jesus for winning the Masters.
Now, I may be wrong — it’s been known to happen — but it seems like Jesus probably had better things to do than guide Johnson around Amen Corner and into a green jacket.
People die daily in Iraq, there’s still unrest in Darfur, and poverty strikes all corners of the world. Seems to me if Jesus is up there, he’d be paying more attention to things like that rather than making sure some dude from Iowa wins a golf tournament.
Again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Jesus really did steer Johnson’s chip shot into the hole at No. 8; and perhaps he took a little off the wind so Tiger’s shot on No. 17 would come up short and plug in the bunker.
If that was the case, I guess I’ll be the one with some explaining to do. And maybe I’ve got Johnson’s intentions all wrong: Perhaps he didn’t mean Jesus literally helped him, but gave him the inner strength to persevere in the face of daunting odds.
Chap Clark, a professor at the Fuller Theological Seminary, is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“I would give Zach the credit to say that’s what he meant,” said Clark, who has researched sports and religion at the seminary in Pasadena, Calif. “People of faith often give credit to God for helping them overcome everything from fear to nerves to insecurity. To do what no other golfer has done in a major facing Tiger Woods on his neck was a great example of this reliance on faith.”
But even if Jesus did steer a couple shots toward the hole or gave Johnson the strength to win, I don’t want to hear about it.
Faith, like the birth of a child, is a very personal thing; it’s not the same experience for everyone. Some people believe in completely different entities, like Buddha or Allah; why force your beliefs down everyone else’s throat?
If an athlete wants to mention their faith, go right ahead. But to say it over and over, to constantly put all the credit upstairs, just reminds me of the “Talladega Nights” scene where Ricky Bobby says grace at the dinner table: “Dear lord baby Jesus ... .”
There’s a reason parodies are funny.
At least Johnson didn’t go over the top with it. We’ve all heard interviews from athletes who never say anything other than “I give all the praise to Jesus Christ, my lord and savior.” Hearing that, I picture a revival where they’re speaking in tongues and “healing” people by palming their faces.
And Johnson had the timing right, too. If you’re going to break out praise for Jesus, might as well do it on the holiest day on the Christian calendar: Easter Sunday.
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NFL CRACKDOWN
The NFL ranks right up there with the NCAA when it comes to overbearing entities, controlling every little detail, most times for the sake of a dollar.
But, for once, the almighty NFL got something right by suspending Tennessee’s Adam “Pacman” Jones and Cincinnati’s Chris Henry basically for being idiots.
Jones has been interviewed by police 10 times and faces felony charges following a shooting in Las Vegas that left a man paralyzed during the NBA’s All-Star weekend. Authorities haven’t determined who fired the shots; police accused Jones of taking part in the fight that led to the shooting.
He’s been suspended for the 2007 season, though it could get shortened to 10 games if a pair of court cases go in his favor. Henry got eight games after being arrested four times in a 14-month span.
Though it took a little longer than you might expect from a league that’s so image-conscious, the NFL finally did the right thing and put its foot down against the thuggery that seems to have taken over sports.
Now if they could just lower ticket prices.
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LOOSE BALLS
Radio talk show host Don Imus called the Rutgers women’s basketball team a bunch of “nappy-headed hos” during a show last week, leading to a series of protests and a two-week suspension. If people would have listened to how unfunny his show is, they would have started protesting a long time ago. ... Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour was arrested at a Miami club after a scuffle with a police officer. Bail was set at $1 billion (the amount he tried to bribe an officer with a few years back, in case you don’t remember). ... The final round of the Masters was followed by the season premiere of the “The Sopranos” — unless I end up winning the lottery, that’s already the best day of the year.
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John Marshall is asap’s sports reporter, based in Denver. | Only registered users can write comments.
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