"God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure."

Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire

Sixth commandment

We might feel smug as we read this commandment. After all we have never murdered anyone. But don’t forget the words of Jesus, You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder’, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Matthew 5:21-22

We may not have murdered anyone but we have certainly been angry. We have been angry with the referee and the officials, with the opposition, even with our own team mates and with the coach. We are guilty under this commandment. And if we add the idea of “hate, envy, revenge”, we are even more guilty.

Tennis player Nancy Richey became a Christian late in her career. She has said that she found it increasingly difficult to reconcile her competitive emotions with her newfound faith: 'When I stepped on to the court, I felt I was in an isolated area and the Lord was outside of that area. I knew hating my opponent was not a Christian view’. The problem here is perhaps not a conflict between the Christian and the secular but within Nancy Richey's original approach to tennis, namely that her motivation to win was based on hating her opponent.

However, Richey is far from alone in struggling with this problem. Many struggle to achieve a balance, to temper competitive enthusiasm with just the right amount of spiritual grace, while team owners and sports reporters are concerned that players who take their religion so seriously as to dampen their 'killer instinct' may jeopardize the team.

Bernhard Langer, who would be regarded as one of the toughest competitors in world golf, has a helpful word on this: 'I strongly believe that I can win tournaments without wishing my fellow competitors bad luck or trying any kind of gamesmanship on them.' (And a bonus mark to Bernhard for calling them 'fellow competitors', not 'opponents'!)

But why do people ask this only about sportspeople?

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