Last night was a glorious one for fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s been seventeen long years since Gene Stalling lead the Tide to a National Title, and during that time an entire state has suffered. Last night their long awaited redemption arrived through the leadership of Nick Saban. But as I watched post-game videos on ESPN.com this morning, I couldn’t help but notice the utter lack of joy on the faces of guys like Saban (Alabama’s coach) and Greg McElroy (Alabama’s quarterback).
Take a look at the following videos:
Both men have just won the biggest game of their lives, have cemented places in the history books while making themselves gods and heroes of an entire state; still their faces show only dour resignation. Both have just upheld the “Law” to which they are subject in toto; Saban has “justified” the five million dollars he will earn this year and McElroy has “justified” his position on the field. Yet both men look sad.
They know that tomorrow morning they will wake up and the Law will renew its assault. They know that tomorrow folks will ask if McElroy did anything to help Alabama win or if Saban is anything more than a college football mercenary out for a buck. They know that their “justification” is really only temporary and their legend fleeting. They know that they live in a place “where moth and rust destroy.”
This is a Gospel understanding of human triumph. Human beings simply cannot justify themselves to their critics, internal or external. So though that dour look may never pass from Nick Saban’s face, that’s a good thing.
The good news, the Gospel, is that our justification happens in spite of ourselves. The Gospel is Christ’s love for us apart from our triumphs. The Gospel is that Christ’s victory Justifies us in victory and defeat. The Gospel is the only victory that really matters.
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COMMENTS
8 responses to “A Gospel for the Crimson Tide (Longhorns too)”
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However in this case I think the Gospel was Texas' offense was just lame!
🙂
Showed this to a friend of mine and she sent me this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyyZq6NJgaU
The difference between Christ's Gospel and the Law is clearly displayed in these two football players.
I saw that interview with McCoy, it was really touching when lined up next to the Saban interviews – joy in defeat versus burden in victory.
McElroy played with cracked ribs. I don't imagine anyone would be streams of sunshine after playing a great defense with cracked ribs.
You ought to have seen the rest of the players. They were on cloud nine.
As am I and the rest of the Tide fans. Roll Tide!
Great illustration. Thanks.
And you ought to read this article:
http://www.tidesports.com/article/20100111/NEWS/100119955
Please understand that I don't mean to disparage the Tide's accomplishment or the unbridled joy that they felt (beneath their cracked ribs). It was a brilliant game, and I too was rooting for them all the way through.
I just think it's telling to watch McElroy and Saban both situate themselves in Alabama Football history. We see them (or I see them) under the burden of expectation placed upon them by the weight of that history.
How hard it must have been for McElroy to admit that he was disappointed with how he played in the most important game of his life, though he played well enough to get a W? The Law's all there… It looked written on his face.
HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING NEGATIVE ABOUT MY BELOVED CRIMSON TIDE!!!!
I kid, I kid. I'm the biggest Bama fan out there, but this is a perceptive observation. Saban in particular seems almost unhuman in his constant drive, his focus on the next task, his unwillingness to enjoy victory. If you listen to him talk about his job (which I do frequently), he speaks constantly about never being satisfied, always working towards a new goal, taking personal responsibility, etc. He even instituted a 24-hour rule mandating that players and coaches can only enjoy a victory for 24 hours before moving ahead to the next opponent.
He is as focused and driven as any person I have ever witnessed, which is why he is a great coach. But I imagine that eventually even he will be worn out by the enormous and constant pressure of the Law. To be successful in college or pro sports, you must be working constantly. It is all about works, winning, and glory. I continue to wonder where the intersection between competitive sports and the Gospel is (other than in defeat), or if the sports I love and the Gospel I profess are indeed antithetical to one another.