The Super Bowl and spiritual capacities

Not everyone in the US watches the Super Bowl. But on February 6, there could be well over a hundred million people worldwide in front of televisions to see the National Football League’s final two teams battle it out for this season’s championship. In fact, last year’s Super Bowl was watched by over 106 million people, making it the most-watched program in US television history! So it’s a big day for athletes and the fans. But is it more than just an event where one team slugs it out to beat another?

From my own experience as an athlete, I like to think that athletics can be a proving ground for growth in spirituality. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Mental, even spiritual, factors are important to the world’s top athletes. How an athlete’s thought governs his or her actions—especially when that thought is imbued by the power of prayer—can be inspiring to watch.

In baseball’s last World Series, for instance, viewers couldn’t help but be aware of one particular player for the Detroit Tigers, Sean Casey. I had the privilege of attending Game Four in person. I watched him play an outstanding game. He got three hits, including a home run. He seemed to be head and shoulders above the pressure that many of the other players were feeling.

After the game, Casey said that he reads the Bible every day. Before going up to bat, he thinks about something he’s read in that book. He ended up hitting .529, the highest batting average of all the players in that World Series.

Will there be some spiritual essence to the game that will serve as a unifying force for the millions of viewers in this year’s Super Bowl? We’ll have to watch and see. In addition to eating chips and dip and having a good time with the commercials—because not everyone watches the Super Bowl for the football—we’ll have an opportunity to affirm that the teams are really spiritual, God’s children in action. And we can note how God, who is divine Mind, is expressed through their accuracy, power, perception, speed. This expression is spiritual, but it takes tangible form in the superior performances of athletes.

Mary Baker Eddy, wrote in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “To understand that Mind is infinite, not bounded by corporeality, not dependent upon the ear and eye for sound or sight nor upon muscles and bones for locomotion, is a step towards the Mind-science by which we discern man’s nature and existence.”

Man’s true, eternal nature is Godlike. Divine Spirit, or God, isn’t chained by physicality. So, man (and that means everyone—both males and females) as the creation of God is 100 percent spiritual and free of imperfection. Spiritual creation is the true creation, and is “not bounded by corporeality.” The spiritual realm of God is expressed in practical ways by athletes, and is seen in qualities like selflessness, strength, beauty, speed, grace, majesty. The more you appreciate the world’s spirituality, the less physical—and more beautiful—it will seem.

Here is another helpful idea from Mary Baker Eddy: “…whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God’s reflection” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, p. 183 ). So the qualities and abilities of God are possible to man, because man is God’s reflection. In reality, man can do nothing but reflect God.

It also works the other way around, too. Whatever is impossible to God is impossible to man. It makes sense that it is impossible for God—divine Love— to feel hateful thoughts toward an opposing player. Nor can God experience the egotism that can lead to overconfidence or under confidence. Because man images God, it wouldn’t be natural for any of His children—that’s us, players and fans— to respond to these temptations.

The same could be said for exhaustion and fear—maybe the fear of injury or unfair play or inaccurate referee calls. And would God ever be distracted by or fearful of the mental influences of the crowd? Impossible. And that’s why it’s impossible to God’s man. Some athletes are already aware of their spiritual exemption from negative influences and, as a result, they can really shine in pressure-packed situations.

While the Super Bowl may not provide everyone with some sort of religious experience, there’s no reason we can’t participate in an underlying, yet substantial aspect of the broadcast. To recognize that an athlete is not corporeal, but is the spiritual creation of God actually helps everyone—players and viewers alike.

As a viewer, you can be inspired and encouraged as you acknowledge the allness of God. You can recognize the spiritual capacities of God’s creation seen in the lives of NFL players. And even more, you can spiritually affirm that these qualities are shining in the lives of the millions of spectators, whether they are in the stands or watching on television. Each one is spiritual, the child of God.

Spiritually inspired feats:

Science and Health
84:19-24 (to true)

King James Bible
I Cor. 9:24, 25