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HomeCommentaryThe reality of our false gods

The reality of our false gods

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By Mark Azzara

Dear Friend,

Believe it or not, I am grateful for the brouhaha that is gripping America’s professional sports teams and leagues. Grateful because there is no longer any way to deny the reality that we are a divided nation.

I also am grateful because the dust-up reveals how professional sports in this country has become like a god to many people. Those with man-caves dedicated to their favorite sports team have created, in effect, an alternate church.

In one way or another, we all worship gods that allow us to escape from the reality of our world. And thus we hate it when someone reminds us that there is no escape from truth. We hate to be reminded of the reality of our faults, such as our biases, ridiculous opinions and impatience. That’s why fake news is so popular – because it “protects” its consumers from having to deal with reality.

I would be grateful beyond words if the entire pro sports system were to collapse because it has warped our understanding of who we are meant to be as human beings. And I may get my wish. Several online articles are openly saying that the backlash against these protests may undermine the financial empire that modern-day pro sports has become.

Our values are seriously out of whack when we idolize guys who crash into each other or hit a round ball with a round stick. One clear sign of this was the cover story in the Sept. 4 issue of Time magazine: “How Kid Sports Turned Pro,” with the subhead “Crazy Travel, Crazy Costs, Crazy Stress.” These kids, and/or their parents, aren’t just seeking to refine athletic skills. They seek to be worshiped. That is another appalling reality we would rather ignore.

If you doubt that we want children to become the gods we will someday worship, then look at what the FBI recently uncovered in college sports. I am ever so grateful that the FBI has revealed what journalists say “everybody” in the sports industry (including the media) has always known – that big money is being used to corrupt young athletes and a supposedly amateur sports system that is, in fact, totally oriented around money. Make no mistake, big-time college sports are professional grade, too.

When you erect false gods, don’t expect God to sit around and let it ride. He isn’t offended by what this says about Him because we’ve said even worse about him. But I’ll bet he’s ticked off by what we are saying to one another about the false gods we proclaim and worship, thus leading us away from the only source of true goodness, love, humility, joy, peace and forgiveness.

We made these false gods and we must pay the price for doing so. And better to pay now than pay later.

We will always make gods that distract us from the one true God – the God who wants us to confront the reality of who we are and the world in which we live. And that includes those who couldn’t care less about sports but who are busily making and promoting other false gods, whether it’s money, sex, power, race, the human intellect, or you name it.

What false god(s) do you worship? How’s that going for you?

All God’s blessings – Mark

Mark Azzara
Mark Azzara
Mark Azzara spent 45 years in print journalism, most of them with the Waterbury Republican in Connecticut, where he was a features writer with a special focus on religion at the time of his retirement. He also worked for newspapers in New Haven and Danbury, Conn. At the latter paper, while sports editor, he won a national first-place writing award on college baseball. Azzara also has served as the only admissions recruiter for a small Catholic college in Connecticut and wrote a self-published book on spirituality, "And So Are You." He is active in his church and facilitates two Christian study groups for men. Azzara grew up in southern California, graduating from Cal State Los Angeles. He holds a master's degree from the University of Connecticut.

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Joseph Peroni III
Joseph Peroni III
3 months ago

Hero worship enters my mind when reading this. Sports that allow us to divert our time, energy, waste our faith away, and take us away from the true purpose we are here for; preparing us for eternity and our continued existence. Whatever deity we choose, we should dwell and focus on him and continue to grow and understand the timeless mysteries which have been kept secret throughout the ages.
I stoped watching television for 10 years in order to keep out and avoid distractions so I could devote more time to my deity. By studying (reading and collecting as much data on my subject of the occult) and thinking as much about it as possible, I jump started my growth and proved much more than I would have if I didn’t study and didn’t pay as much attention to my researched subject.
“Study, not worship” is my belief. I firmly am against hero worship. A immortal and magical powerful deity is far more logical to favor, and think about any day by me rather than a sports athlete who doesn’t do anything more than waste my time by taking my money and impress me on rare occasions for small game plays which last for under 15 seconds.
I read this article and found it fascinating.

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