There have been two recent sports stories that have grabbed a prominent place in our culture. One is the ubiquitous coverage of the personal life and goings of Tiger Woods, who is without question the number one golfer in the world and perhaps the greatest golfer to ever walk the earth. But, Tiger has not been in the headlines because of his golfing accomplishments, although he was just named Sports Illustrated athlete of the decade, rather he has dominated the headlines because of his marital unfaithfulness and relationships with multiple women while being married. The other sports story has been playing to sold out theaters (I know becase I twice couldn't get a ticket) for about the last month, it is the Micheal Oher story as chonicled in the movie "The Blind Side." It is the true story of a teenage orphan living on the streets of Memphis being brought into a wealthy Christian family who adopts him, gives him the chance and support that he needed, helps him through highschool and college and all the way to playing football in the NFL this season. It is a feel good story that Hollywood couldn't and wouldn't write. Many critics have called the Blind Side predicatable, boring, and a story that has been told many times before, which usually means it will do very well at the box office and it did.
I listen to a a lot of sports talk radio, (probably too much) and over the last few weeks Tiger Woods has dominated the conversation and I don't think I have heard the Micheal Oher story or the movie mentioned once. Radio is an interesting medium because it plays to what people want to talk about and hear and is able to adjust instantly. So if the hosts are talking about it that means it is usually what people want to hear. To be honest when the story first broke I found myself in such disbelief that I was listneing to everything coming out about Tiger. It seems that we as a society like a feel good story, but we love to hear the details about someone's failings and falling.
None of us can change all of society. But, the challenge for me as a person, a husband, a father, and a follower of Christ is to elevate to my kids and others the Micheal Ohers and Leanne Touhys and to help them understand that a man like Tiger Woods is to be pitied and not become the center of our attention.
