Our nation is saturated with sports. A glimpse through the TV listings will undoubtedly reveal several athletic events. ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CNN Sports, ABC Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports … you get the idea. Is there a day without a commercial-laden sporting event somewhere in the world?

Something is wrong here. Our society’s priorities aren’t right.

I’m a sports writer. I love sports. I love competition and athletic excellence. However, sports are not at the top of my list of priorities. I find it humorous whenever people assume that because I’m a sports writer, I watch every game that is on the tube. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched a whole game of anything! I joke with my wife saying that I’ve got to be the only sports writer alive that doesn’t watch sports on TV regularly. I’m not comfortable investing three hours of my time -- time that could be spent with my family -- to find out what I can read about later.

Several years ago, Elder William W. Parmley spoke at a stake conference in California. (Looking back, I credit his talk with the beginning of my current outlook on sports and the sporting world.) Elder Parmley, a cardiologist by trade, told the story of a weekend trip he made to a medical conference in northern California. He took a stroll around the hotel grounds on Sunday morning and noticed there was a car convention being held. Conventioneers were polishing, waxing, shining and fussing over every detail of making their cars look good. Some were on their hands and knees scrubbing and polishing under the cars. Some were animatedly telling others about the efforts they had put into their cars.

The scene struck Elder Parmley as familiar. He recalled how Moses, when coming down from Mount Sinai, found the children of Israel in the manner of worshipping idols and graven images. How different were the car aficionados from the children of Israel? Their golden calves had four wheels and sparkling chrome rims instead of four legs and sparkling udders.

Another correlation was drawn by Elder Parmley as he recounted the experience of Paul in Asia who encountered the worship of the idol Diana by the masses who gathered themselves together in a theatre, chanting and yelling in support of their idol.

Is our day any different? Our sports arenas and stadiums are filled to capacity on a regular basis with screaming and chanting fans. Are sports our graven image? Are sports your graven image?

Elder Parmley warned us of the Church of the NBA, the Church of the NFL and the Church of Sports in General. There are others that can be grouped into that cluster, but I think the idea is clear. Sports can become our idol if we are not careful.

What Think Ye?
I do not mean to imply that attending a sporting event constitutes idolatry. Like I tell my children, if what I say doesn’t apply to you, then don’t worry about it. In actuality, I point the finger at the media and the glorification of the sport and the athletes.

What are your habits regarding sports? Does Monday Night Football take precedence over Family Home Evening? Does the Super Bowl take precedence over Home Teaching? Does watching the basketball game take precedence over spending time talking to your children? Does Junior’s soccer league take precedence over Young Men’s activities? What about Sally? Does her basketball practice keep her from meeting her Personal Progress requirements for the Young Womanhood Recognition award?

Look, I’m in the business of promoting athletics … it’s my profession. I comb the Internet in search of the latest NBA standings, NFL playoff pairings and sports results. I’ll catch a bit of a game here or there on TV, but somehow, sports has found its place in my life as I have learned to put those things that are most important in the forefront.

I’ve seen both ends of the sporting spectrum. I’ve been in an arena filled with 20,000 screaming fans. I’ve seen the enthusiast that paints his face and transforms himself into a Mr. Hyde persona for 48 minutes of basketball. I’ve seen the athlete that will forsake all in the name of “working on his game.” But I’ve also seen the other side of the fence: a well-balanced approach to all things.

A Way to Judge
And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. (D&C 50:23)

The above scripture spells it out simply and succinctly for us. When it comes down to it, the only thing that will matter when we stand before the Lord to be judged is what we’ve done with our time here. Is there anyone that has felt edified after spending a few hours watching a football game on TV? My experience has shown that doing such a thing has created an empty feeling of having wasted my time.

Will the level of competition that an athlete has risen to improve her chances of reaching the Celestial Kingdom? Will the Church meetings and programs sacrificed in the name of the pursuit of athletic excellence be missed then? Will the homeruns, touchdowns, goals, slam dunks or first-place finishes be a good substitute for the riches we could have attained had we put things in their proper order? Will having watched the World Series on TV have brought us closer to our Lord and Savior?

I wonder about the emphasis put on sports in our world … and I hope you wonder as well.

The Good and the Bad
I think I’ll continue writing about sports. I enjoy it too much to stop now. Besides, I think that there is much to be learned from athletics and the choices athletes make. In moderation, sports can become a tool and wholesome recreation and, yes, a source of edification.

Lest you think this sports writer has lost all sense of fun and games, I’ll close this week’s column with a few lighter observations from the sporting world. Like everything else in life, there’s good and bad in the sporting world. Following are a few examples. (Feel free to submit some of your own)

Good: Watching a home run while eating a hot dog at the baseball game.
Bad: Running home from the baseball game because of the hot dog.

Good: Checking the schedule for tickets to your favorite team’s games.
Bad: Writing the check to pay for tickets to your favorite team’s games.

Good: Working out three times a week.
Bad: Passing out three times a week from working out.

Good: Reading the morning sports page over a glass of milk.
Bad: A glass of milk all over the morning sports page.

Good: Skating on ice with your wife.
Bad: Skating on thin ice with your wife.

Good: Throwing the ball with your kids in the backyard.
Bad: Throwing the ball at your kids in the backyard.