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Good
Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports
By Shirl James Hoffman
Baylor Press – 2010 – Waco, Texas – ISBN: 978-1-932792-10-2
Reviewed by Chris Abrams, Malone University
Born the son of a Baptist minister in western Pennsylvania, one of many
parts of the country that takes very seriously its athletic
competitions, Shirl Hoffman has grown up in and around sport. With his
upbringing and later his work as a Professor of Exercise and Sport
Science as well as the Director of the American Kinesiology
Association, Hoffman is well-suited to offer a critique concerning the
marriage of the Christian faith and sport through multiple lenses. In
his work Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports, he asks the
reader to take a hard look at the current state of sport even sport in
a “supposed” Christian context, and see how it might look within a
“truly” Christian context.
 Hoffman’s
text is broken into 11 chapters ranging from an examination
of the history of Christians and their interaction with sport dating
back to the early Church in Greece and Rome through modern day. He
concludes by offering 6 suggestions to help the reader think more
intentionally about how sport or play might look different in Hoffman’s
idea of a Christian context. The preface and introduction of this text
offers some needed insight concerning the author and his position on
the topic and should not be overlooked by the reader.
Chapters 1-5 offer a historical context for the interaction
between Christianity and sport. Hoffman’s analysis begins in ancient
Greece and Rome where the Christians of that day denounced a culture of
sport, a culture which often led to their harm or death. In chapter 2
entitled “Proscribing, Controlling, and Justifying,” Hoffman explores
how the early Church leaders viewed “play.” He states, “Commentators of
the day struggled to distinguish between types of sports and games that
could and could not be incorporated into the Christian life…Most sports
fit within the range of “neutral” or “morally indifferent” activities
whose sinfulness depended almost entirely on the intentions of the
players or the circumstances surrounding their performance” (67).
Hoffman then moves to the culture of sport and Christianity in more
modern times from the late 1800’s to today. In this analysis he offers
many unusual commentaries from many outspoken preachers denouncing the
culture of sport. For example, in the chapter entitled Bowling,
Bicycles, and Other Snares, Hoffman quotes J. Buckley (1967) who states
“Many [women] of good family become bold in feature bearing and
gesture, and indulge freely in road badinage and slang. They sit in
indelicate attitudes and curbstones, roadsides, and under trees, with
young men; they drink and joke at drugstore counters; not a few have
become typical hoydens and when not riding [bicycles], parade the
streets in bicycle costume…Wives have taken the wheels against their
husbands, and have neglected their family duties…The bicycle has
figured in divorce cases without number” (92). Hoffman later states
that rhetoric such as this was clearly hysterical. I agree. However,
there are portions of Hoffman’s own critique that some may find
hysterical, for example, Hoffman’s idea of nonrepresentational sport,
which is another way of saying sporting contests without teams and the
ability for fans to have a rooting interest. So I would caution Hoffman
in his use of illustrations similar to J. Buckley’s.
Over the next few chapters Hoffman analyzes modern evangelical
thinking concerning sport, beginning by detailing “The Rise of Sport
Evangelism” from Billy Sunday the retired baseball player turned
preacher to the connection between sport and behaviors seen as
consistent with the Christian life, such as refraining from smoking,
drinking, dancing, and carousing. He continues by examining how the
Church exploited players, owners and managers who refrained from such
behaviors because of their influence over the common man. In his
analysis of modern evangelical thinking concerning sport Hoffman also
examines the physicality of the majority of sports. According to the
author, sports like boxing and football have become so mainstream in
evangelical society that it no longer questions the potential harmful
ramifications to the body. He includes more docile athletic contests
like baseball where pitchers are asked to constantly engage in an
unnatural arm motion. Professional and collegiate athletes go through
surgery after surgery in order to continue to perform tasks that take a
physical toll on their bodies. Hoffman asks the reader to consider our
bodies as holy temples and whether activities in sport that tear down
their temples are a good use of the bodies God has given us.
Within the next few chapters, Hoffman critiques the idea that
sports are and can be used to build character as we have all been lead
to believe for years. In this portion of the text, Hoffman gives
example after example of the negative in sport. Next, he explores the
idea of using sport as a tool of evangelism. In this he questions the
notion of taking something secular and destructive like sport and
turning it into a tool to bring people to Christ. He also considers if
sport can be used as a tool of evangelism what does that look like?
Concluding his work Hoffman offers his thoughts on a
transformation of sport within a Christian context for Christian
institutions. He offers six suggestions for Christian institutions to
consider in reframing their athletic programs. Ideas like, Christian
institutions rethinking their visions and missions in regards to
athletics, only competing with other Christian institutions because
secular institution cannot be expected to compete within the Christian
ethic, and taking the competitive component out of athletics.
In critiquing Hoffman’s work I hardly know where to begin,
which I see as a positive element of the book, as it generates a great
deal of thought and emotion. Unfortunately the parameters of a book
review will not allow for a full dissection of the text. Thus, I have
limited my analysis to four main points:
First, I had difficulty in finding Good Game’s thesis. When push comes
to shove, it appears that Hoffman does not believe sport and the
Christian faith can survive harmoniously, especially within Christian
institutions. His disapproval is fine, however his historical and
theological analysis will not allow him to state that sport is
incompatible with the Christian faith. Thus, I believe his thesis can
be summarized in his opening to chapter 6. “Competition is an
indispensable element of sport. Rid sport of competitors’ mutual
striving for a prize available only to one of them and you change it to
something entirely different. But competition also is the element of
sport most difficult to align with the Christian faith” (145).
Hoffman’s analysis seems to bring him to the conclusion that
competition and the Christian faith are incompatible. And it is hard to
separate competition and sport. Interesting, but with this analysis in
mind what can be done about competition? It is all around us not just
in sport; sport is just one of the most flawed examples in our culture.
I got my job by competing for it. How about the institution where I
work? Every day it competes for its viability within the academy. It
competes for students, for donor dollars, grant dollars, etc… And each
year every Christian institution where I have served (4) has touted its
standing in the U.S. News and World Report rankings (even through the
academy is always quick to point out how meaningless they are). How
about the top academic students at Christian institutions? Each year we
have awards ceremonies for various academic achievements where many
students vie for only a few awards. How about competition within
politics, business, etc...
Second, Hoffman’s work lacks objectivity. At one point in his
work he criticizes sports publications like Sports Spectrum, a magazine
that seemingly could be called the Christian Sports Illustrated, for
not tackling the negatives of sport; instead as Hoffman critiques it
fills its pages with positive stories, encouragements, testimonies and
athletes overcoming difficult odds. Well in the 300 or so pages of
Hoffman’s work I was inundated with every negative sports story
imaginable. And every potentially positive story Hoffman attempts to
convince the reader is not really positive at all. Is anyone doing it
right? Are there any positive stories? Let me attempt to offer a recent
headline example in two words, John Wooden.
Third, Hoffman’s six areas for transforming athletics in
Christian colleges although very interesting and worth further
consideration, lack connection with much of the book. Many of the
negative examples given in the book are of institutions or athletes who
have no interest in the connection between faith and sport (Bobby
Knight, Latrell Sprewell, Alabama fans, etc…) thus as a reader I have
no expectation of these people. Also, although Hoffman seems to feel
strongly that his six suggestions on reforming Christian college
athletics would take care of the current ills of Christian college
sports; I think down deep he realizes his suggestions would be the end
of Christian college athletics. Intramurals are too fierce for Hoffman,
because it involves competition.
Finally, Hoffman retreat from culture. Sport is just one more
example of something that Christians should retreat from; it’s lost and
cannot be saved. And those who compete in it are lost as well, so what
we must do as contentious Christians is shelter ourselves in our
Christian institutions and not get our hands dirty with the trappings
of the world.
Hoffman’s work is both interesting and thought provoking.
There are many problems in sport and Good Game forces the reader to
examine those. There are many examples in our history of people making
pleas to drastically swing the pendulum from its current place to its
opposite angle. I believe Good Game asks the reader to consider drastic
change to sport. Change so drastic it would most likely lead to the end
of sport at Christian institutions. A change I believe would be just
fine by Shirl Hoffman.
Where to get this book: ChristianBook.com
Book Review: Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports by Shirl
James Hoffman
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