If you’re like me, professional sports have always helped define the past few decades. The accomplishments of athletes like Mickey Mantle, Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Simone Biles provide a kind of soundtrack for their respective eras. For example, it’s hard to think about the 1990s without remembering the exploits of Michael Jordan. I still remember lying on the couch sick and sweating with the flu watching Jordan dominate the Utah Jazz. Although we do not personally know athletes like Jordan, they are important to us and serve as indicators for many events in our lives.
For those who watched NFL football in the late ’90s, John Elway’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins are certainly emblematic of that era. I didn’t know much about the football star, but the title of the new documentary was simple elway Let’s pull back the curtain on this complex number. Sports documentaries rarely tackle something profound. Often they just flatten individuals into identities based on their accomplishments. However, there has been a change in the types of sports movies produced in recent years. last dance For example, an article about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls provided a nuanced perspective on the biggest sports star of the ’90s. elway follows the same path, painting a complex portrait of the famous quarterback.
win at all costs
We need to see more sports stories like Elway’s, stories that reveal that the ways of glory and sin are not always what they seem.
A Netflix documentary details the former Denver Bronco’s 20-year quest for a Super Bowl title. The campaign culminated in back-to-back victories in 1997 and 1998, but faced heavy criticism and crushing defeats along the way. And because this movie tells his story so well, the saddest part happens when he finally wins.
As Elway stands on the podium in 1997, looking out at the crowd, the scene cuts to his now grown son saying of that moment, “That was the happiest moment of my life.” But Elway’s son looks more like he’s reminiscing about his father’s trauma than his amazing accomplishments. This moment comes after the film details how difficult it was for Elway’s children to have a heart-to-heart with him. The same stoicism, ambition, and talent that made John Elway a great football player made him a below-average father and led to his downfall at home.
Elway’s son looks at problems that humans have grappled with since time immemorial. Our greatest talents often destroy the most important things in our lives. The Bible is full of such stories. Without self-control, Samson’s power causes suffering rather than deliverance for Israel. King David, Jacob, and many other characters in the Bible were gifted men whose talents brought as much pain as they brought glory. The lesson is clear. Gifts amplify a person’s influence, but this influence is not always what we expect.
sin and glory
Most modern people accept this as the price of success, but Christians have struggled with this for centuries. Augustine famously wrote about this inner battle in his book. confession Late 4th century. As he chronicles his journey to savor all that the world has to offer, Augustine discovers truths that still help us understand ourselves today. His conclusions about human nature are offered to the Lord in the form of a prayer. “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they are at rest in you.” Our restlessness often leaves a trail of disaster. Our glory requires strong guardrails.
The most frustrating part of human existence is not that glory evaporates, but rather that glory is misdirected and distorted by fallen nature. as martin luther “Our nature, through the depravity of the first sin, is itself so deeply bent that we not only bend God’s best gifts against ourselves, but we use God Himself to our own ends.” In other words, sin bends the glory of our bearing in the image of God like a bow bent back toward itself. For people of tremendous talent, there is always the possibility that a deadly arrow may be aimed at them. Perhaps this is why the Bible so often asks us to gain wisdom above all else.
The world of sports is an interesting microcosm of this struggle. The main currency of this world is glory, and we are looking for ways to share in that glory. You won’t find a 40-year-old man walking around wearing his favorite accountant’s jersey, but every Sunday in the fall, you can find thousands of men wearing their favorite player’s jersey.
Elway was, of course, a brilliant figure. A two-time sports star in high school and college, he was good enough at baseball to be drafted by the New York Yankees. His college career at Stanford University was so great that he was selected No. 1 overall in the 1983 NFL Draft. Elway had speed, a cannon for an arm, and a toughness reminiscent of the old NFL. As seen throughout the documentary, Elway took a hit that went over the defender like a pancake, but then got up and threw a long ball to his receiver. He also had charisma. He was a big, strong, blonde guy from California who liked crowds.
But for all of Elway’s talent, he comes across as a bit of a prima donna in the documentary. When the Broncos’ longtime coach didn’t make the plays he wanted, Elway kicked him out. When he was drafted by the lackluster Baltimore Colts in 1983, Elway threatened to play professional baseball instead and forced a trade to the Denver Broncos. And despite being enraged by their multiple Super Bowl losses throughout the ’80s, he wasn’t afraid to publicly criticize the Broncos’ leadership.
At home, pictures of Elway are far away. His daughter recalls how big an impact winning and losing had on the family. When Elway didn’t win, everyone suffered. Throughout his career, his marriage declined. His wife says the weight of his career has “shattered” their relationship. It’s an all-too-common theme, but Elway’s drive for success was primarily directed toward his own glory.
Despite his struggles with his family throughout his career and in the years that followed, the film’s ending shows Elway repairing his relationships with those around him. His children now love spending time with him and even his ex-wife seems genuinely happy that he has been given a new lease on family life. Many of the film’s final moments show Elway and his grandchildren enjoying the expansive property on Lake Idaho where he now lives. This is a story of redemption, but not in the way sports movies usually portray it.
The high point of Michael Jordan’s story is his time in the NBA. The ultimate glory of Babe Ruth’s life was found in his home run dominance, while in his later years he struggled to establish a post-baseball identity. baseball legend Barry Bonds He now spends much of his time isolated from the rest of the world, refusing to take steroids. In contrast, the high point of Elway’s story is his redeemed relationships, and his success on the field occurs during a dark period in his life.
We need to see more sports stories like Elway’s, stories that reveal that the ways of glory and sin are not always what they seem. Although Elway may not be a Christian, those of us who are believers still have much to be grateful for. Indeed, there is a hint of the gospel in the return of the wayward father. After all, stories like Elway’s provide an opportunity to point to Christ and his gospel in every area of our lives. Although this takes effort, it has two important effects. One is to help our evangelization by showing how God’s story really is the best story, and to show how God’s kindness touches unbelievers through God’s general revelation.
Van Tillian’s defense
There are many things I like about Timothy Keller’s New York ministry, but perhaps my favorite was the way he apologized. Keller was a Van Til apologist, a type of faith advocacy named after Cornelius Van Til, a famous theologian at Westminster Seminary. One of the key tenets of what Van Til called “presuppositional apologetics” was that there are only two ways to see the world. It’s either recognizing God’s truth or suppressing God’s truth. But even among those who suppress God’s truth, the glory of that truth still leaks into the culture. Every time a story comes up where someone dies for someone else, a Biblical truth comes into the imagination. When our society seeks justice for oppressed groups, it further reflects God’s ultimate values.
John Elway’s documentaries are powerful because they are divine truths highlighted by people who don’t even understand what they are doing. Why does the film celebrate Elway’s accomplishments in football and honor his family? We know the world doesn’t work that way. Rather, the world celebrates our career successes. it’s not elwaywhich emphasizes morality and redemption because a larger story is told.
For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, elway This reminds us that God actually uses the “fools” of the world to “put shame upon the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). John Elway’s ultimate happiness was not found in what the world told him to look for. Even though soccer destroyed his family, it gave him joy. He gave his body and talent to entertain the city of Denver, and the city cared little about what it would bring him. At the end of the day, it’s God’s beautiful creation at Lake Idaho and the blessings of his family that make John Elway smile the longest. And perhaps one day we will hear of him calling on the name of Jesus and entering into eternal joy.
Source: Christ and Pop Culture – christandpopculture.com
