I’ve always been a baseball fan.
Well, that’s not really true.
While I have liked baseball most of my life, I really only became serious about it during the season of 2015. That’s when the Kansas City Royals won the World Series.
I watched a few games the year before and my wife Alison and I quickly became hooked. In 2015, we began taking mini vacations down to KC to watch the Royals play. We even got a cable service just to watch the games on television. (we normally do not have cable because we are nerds and not up with the times.)
During that 2015 season, the Royals were unstoppable. Every game we went to was celebrated with a win. The color of social media became a bit bluer, as people proudly posted their support of the team. Comments on the Royal’s Facebook page were always positive and supportive. People would gush over star players like Danny Duffy, Mike Moustakas, and Nebraska local, Alex Gordon. The Kansas City Royals were on top of the world, hoisted high by their fans.
“What a great fanbase.” I thought to myself as the season went on.
As new fans, Alison and I were thrilled to see the team end their season as the 2015 World Series Champions.
And then came the season after that. And the one after that. And the one after that.
The Royals began to lose a bit more games than they did in 2015. There were players who left, new faces came in and the team began to look a little less polished. The Royal’s manager, Ned Yost, told reporters that the team was going through some personnel changes and it would take a bit of time to work out some of the kinks. Players would need some time to find their rhythm with one another.
Alison and I understood what it’s like to start a new job or be in a new environment. We could kind of understand what many of the players might be going through. We both knew what it felt like to lose a time or two.
But most importantly, we knew that neither of us were baseball players. We knew that, no matter how much we read or watched, we would never be able to fully understand what the team and players were going through. We would never fully know what it would be like to be in the shoes of the players. We didn’t play the game. We were just fans.
And for us, being a fan means cheering on our team, win or lose.
I guess that is why I was surprised to see the change in support of this team. As soon as the loss of games began to increase, the same began to happen for vacant seats at the stadium. The once thunderous crowd of people cheering on the Royals, started to become quieter with more empty chairs between the fans.
The only thing that appeared to be getting louder were the angry words on social media. Comments on the Royals Facebook page became quite negative and mean-spirited. People began to harshly criticize the players they once cheered. Some wanted to see players removed from the team. Some were giving up on the entire Royals franchise.
For some, I guess, being a supportive fan means only when they are winning.
I can understand a feeling of sadness or frustration when one’s team isn’t having a good season. I do love to see the Royals win more so than lose. But when Alison and I decided to become fans of the team, we decided to do so win or lose. We decided to be supportive of the team and the players and to cheer for them during their wins and losses. In some ways, I guess one could say we decided to be an advocate for the Kansas City Royals.
And yes, there is something Christian about all of this.
As a Christian, I know that the love Jesus holds in his heart for me is not a love based on the condition of my success or failure. I know that Jesus is there for me during life’s celebrations, as well as challenges. In fact, I depend on him to be there when life takes an ugly turn. When tragedy strikes. When I screw up and fall flat on my face.
I know Jesus continues to cheer for me, even when I have a bad season.
I know Jesus is an advocate for me.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be “like Jesus.”
Jesus is an advocate for each of us.
Does this mean we are called to be an advocate for a sports team?
Maybe.
As Christ-followers we are to love one another. That’s easier when it comes to the people we want to love. Our families and friends can be a great source of love and we may be more willing to put our energy into being an advocate for the ones we love and the ones that give us love.
And even that is not always easy. Many of us know what unconditional love is because we have experienced it a time or two. We’ve all had loved ones that have challenged us at times. Some have upset us or disappointed us. But we have continued to love them. We have continued to be there for them and to help them. We have continued to cheer for them. Even during troubling times, we have been their fan and they have been ours.
We have advocated for the ones we love and they have advocated for us.
But can we take our advocacy beyond our inner circles?
Jesus calls us to love our neighbors. He also calls us to welcome the strangers. He even calls us to love our enemies. I guess you could say, we are to show love. Love for everyone. Win or lose.
This call to love our neighbor. To be “like Jesus.” This is a challenging call.
It means we cheer for people, even when we get nothing in return.
It means we share loving words instead of hurtful words.
It means we look for the good in people. Even ones we do not know.
It means we forgive.
It means we show love for a player or team that is losing.
It means we show love for a person and for people.
It means we remind ourselves again and again, that we do not always know what is going on in another person’s heart. We do not know what it’s truly like to wear another person’s shoes.
When someone is having a “losing season,” we may be more helpful if we show them love and understanding, as opposed to negativity and hurtfulness.
Being more like Jesus, may challenge us to share our love, even if it does not result in a “win.”
We may not always feel “the win” when we cheer for someone, win or lose. We may walk away disappointed at times. When we cheer for someone, we may not be able to control the result.
And it may not always be about us.
But it may still be about the “win.”
What if “the win” isn’t what we think we see?
Instead of a score, or triumph, what if the “win” is more about knowing we loved like Jesus?
Maybe “The win” is not in what we gain, or how a person responds, but rather in what we give.
Can we be the advocate?
Can we be the fan?
Can we love all of our neighbors as we would like to be loved?
Can we cheer on each other, even when we feel like we are in a losing season?
Can we lose the hatred and win in love?
(Go Royals.)