Pulse sportstalk: forgiving fallible heroes
Forgive and forget?
Matthew Hunter takes his weekly look at the world of sport, including the shock revelations of tennis giant Andre Agassi ...
Every now and then a sports story comes along which sends shockwaves not just through dedicated bulletins, but makes the major headlines: so this week with Andre Agassi’s revelations regarding drug use and deceit.
At first glance it’s pretty poor – and on repeat readings it’s fairly shocking and spectacularly disappointing – but without getting sanctimonious about it, there’s a real case for Christian ethics here: how many times to forgive? Seventy times seven…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not for a minute advocating letting cheats get away with performance-enhancing substance misuse or condoning drugs, but let’s at least consider applying the spirit of the law to this case: the crystal meth may have been taken socially rather than to boost performance, Agassi’s career was in the pits at the time and he’s – how dare we say this of one of the darlings of tennis – human.
There seems a dreadful tendency to race into condemnation, blackening years of service to a game in which he is one of the greats: popular, generous and determined. It’s wrong to idolise …
Cycling has had its well documented dark days, but again the track team is helping to improve the standing of the sport with some spectacular results at the World Cup in Manchester, led by Sir Chris Hoy with – surprise, surprise! – another three golds.
Paula Radcliffe has come in for some criticism in her time, especially – and grossly unfairly – over Olympic marathons, but there’s no doubting that on the streets of New York the resilient triple winner will be for ever remembered as a legend, even if this year it was to be fourth, the Brit struggling with tendonitis behind the longevity of Ethiopian victor Derartu Tulu.
Context is crucial: sometimes people make mistakes, sometimes sports do, sometimes events are beyond even the best technician’s control. Let’s not forget the positives and remember to forgive.
Photo: Lev Radin/Shutterstock
"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone." (John 8:7)
- Matthew Hunter is a Christian writer exploring a vocation to Church of England ministry
