Each different week in The Coach’s Field, Timothy Thomas explores the assorted classes that may be discovered from the world of sports activities.
The tales we inform ourselves in regards to the quest for greatness in sports activities are sometimes replete with virtues like ardour, love of the sport, dedication, and perseverance—and I’m positive you may consider extra. Hardly ever can we as followers, spectators, coaches, and athletes admit to the underlying issue that drives a lot of at this time’s competitors: a profitable payday. That’s what makes the Washington Submit’s profile {of professional} golfer Harold Varner III so intriguing. The headline—”It’s in regards to the rattling cash”—almost says all of it.
Varner is among the {many professional} golfers caught within the rivalry between the Skilled Golf Affiliation and the politically controversial Saudi government-backed LIV Golf Affiliation. From the start, one can see that Varner isn’t motivated by victories. As an alternative, he’s impressed by what successful can get him: cash. However to color him as a grasping capitalist solely involved with cash distorts his story. Varner is like most of us who use our abilities as a method to an finish. Nevertheless, that reveals one other layer price peeling again, particularly for the Christian employee (e.g., athlete, coach): When is it okay to easily work for the payday?
Maybe the query of whether or not it’s ever okay to easily play/work for cash just isn’t fairly the dichotomy that we frequently make it out to be.
“Whenever you develop up poor, cash isn’t related to possessions or targets,” writes Kent Babb for the Submit. “It’s measured in time… When it’s gone, or if there’s an surprising expense, the clock resets and the nervousness returns.” This was Varner’s actuality rising up. His household lived paycheck to paycheck, like many Individuals. Typically the electrical energy went out as a result of they had been late on payments. At different occasions, they needed to discover methods to stretch meals out for days or concoct “mayonnaise and sugar sandwiches” simply to outlive. However they made a means due to the resolve of Varner’s mother and father.
Over time, Harold Varner II discovered a better-paying job and took his son to the golf course the place he would play with older, wealthier white males who noticed potential within the youthful Varner. Through the years, they invested in him, and he had the chance to play in golf tournaments and win prize cash. “When he turned professional later,” Babb studies, “that’s how he nonetheless lived: free housing, financial system flights, free meals. He lived together with his mother and father, saved his 2013 Honda CR-V, by no means checked his checking account to see if he might afford higher. He simply assumed he couldn’t.”
After successful a $1 million payday, Varner gained LIV’s consideration. He turned down their preliminary provide, although, and pledged his loyalty to the PGA. Nevertheless, LIV’s managing director, Majed al-Sorour, made a brand new provide estimated to be $15+ million. In keeping with Varner, he signed to make sure a future for his son and spouse. When the Submit inquired about his signing, Varner admitted, “And isn’t that why we work? I imply, I don’t work to say I like what I do. That’s bulls- – – to me. You need your child to have a f – – -ing likelihood.”
Varner additionally works (performs) to provide youthful athletes with an analogous background a possibility to play golf and win cash like he has. Golf isn’t as accessible a sport as basketball or soccer. So Varner hosts his HV3 Invitational to provide younger golfers that likelihood. Of the 162 golfers that signed up for the latest match, 46 acquired monetary help. “It’s a capitalist’s strategy to creating golf a bit extra socialist,” writes the Submit.
From the Coach’s Field, Varner’s evaluation of how we (and particularly us Christians) strategy work and play, or play as work in our predominantly capitalist society, could be very nuanced. On the one hand, some Bible verses about work compel me to consider work solely as a method to worship God (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23–24). Alternatively, I additionally see verses that, like Varner’s story, emphasize how work is important to make ends meet (Proverbs 14:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:11–12).
Maybe the query of whether or not it’s ever okay to easily play/work for cash just isn’t fairly the dichotomy that we frequently make it out to be. Legally making a living with our abilities, items, abilities, and talents can concurrently serve a number of functions whereas in the end glorifying our Father in Heaven. Working to make sure that we will look after ourselves, our households, and others glorifies God as a result of, in doing so, we bear his likeness. We see this within the Creation narrative when God labored six days to create heaven and earth, a bountiful place of magnificence and objective for his youngsters (Genesis 1:26, 31). Put merely, we will bear our Father’s picture and likeness with our work, even when the objective is to safe a extra profitable final result for our households and others whereas not essentially “loving” our jobs within the trendy sense (Luke 16:9–10).
Like something on this world, we will misplace our targets and intentions and make them extra final than they should be (1 Timothy 6:10). We are able to take the search to change into extra wholesome, the objective to guide a workforce to a championship, or the possibility to excel within the office, and switch it right into a god in and of itself. However after we preserve the right perspective that work is a chance to like our household and serve our neighbors, working (or enjoying) for cash isn’t dangerous.
With this angle, Varner sums it up properly: “Everybody says cash doesn’t make you cheerful. It doesn’t. It hasn’t made me blissful. It’s made me succesful.”
