I play Rec League volleyball...

Do you know why the most brilliant amongst us has to write a 4 part treatise about the Christian nature of competition and whether or not there is such a thing? Do you know why he has paused in order to deliver the next part in a well thought-out, eloquent fashion that would make Socrates and Descartes proud?

I do. Because I play Rec League volleyball on Thursday nights. Last week when the Spring games were ending with makeup games, I had to sub. There were five people, including me. We lost all three games I think, BUT THEN the other team invited us to play an extra game and they even mingled team members with our team members. They were generous with our lack of talent and they extended kindness.

Tonight we started the Summer games. We played against a really, really good team. They were amazing to watch...at first. They were technically precise: nearly every time they got the ball two of them would set it, pushing it closer and closer to the net, then someone would spike it over the net. It was awesome. Then we lost our first game 15-2, and they became pricks.

The second game started and they were playing with 5 instead of 6 players. 4 of them were having conversations while the serving player would serve. We scored a lot of points just because they were so prideful, so SURE that they could beat us, that they didn't even pay attention to us. When I realized that I became livid. (My pride made me livid I realize now as I type that sentence. They were making me look stupid, they were making my teammates look stupid and I was prideful and then I became livid.)

I wanted to beat them so bad. When I became server I scored 5 points and tied the game at 7. We ended up losing, but I was rotated out, so I didn't have to do the "good game" hi-five. I did not want to though, so I was fine. I was fuming and did not think that they deserved to be told they played a good game. They won, but did not play a good game.

Is there any GOOD in playing with dissent in your attitude? NO.
Is there any GOOD in showing total disrespect when calling the score out in a game? NO.
Is there any GOOD in having conversations in the middle of the game? NO.

When you win like that, there is no GOOD in it. There is no sportsmanship.

But in the end, after game 3, I did do the "GOOD GAME" hi-five because it was the proper thing to do and because I am a Christian.

I do NOT add that last part on to brag or pat myself on the back, but as I was fuming, I just kept thinking about how I should give these people the hi-five because it is what is proper and good sportsman-like conduct, but not at all what they deserved. Giving people what they do not deserve is Christian. What they deserved is what my head was thinking about. And that my friends, was not at all Christian...