Some random sports reflections...
*I'm not really a big golf guy (that and tennis are probably the two sports that I enjoy the least watching) but this year has been interesting to say the least. So far in the two major tournaments (the Masters & the US Open) that have been played, the two winners (Bubba Watson & Webb Simpson) are strong & vocal followers of Jesus. Simpson's twitter profile describes himself as this: " *sinner* loved by a Savior". I really am encouraged that more and more athletes are vocal about their faith in Christ, and that they are using the platform that God is giving them to point back to Him. Very cool indeed.
*After my last post about Manny Ramirez, he recently asked for his release from the A's. It didn't seem like they were going to promote him from AAA and so he wanted to see if he can get back into the big leagues another way. I don't know if he will find another team but I do wish him the best.
*The NBA finals are going on and for the first time in my life I've not watched one game of the Finals, even though I am able to (I wasn't able to watch any back in '09 because I was in Poland and it's like a 7 hour time difference). The reason? Simply put Oklahoma City is in the finals. Anyone that knows me, knows that I lived in Seattle and did ministry work there for 3 years. I was there the final years that the Sonics were in town before they moved. So I know better than a lot of people how people in Seattle feel right now about the Thunder, because I saw a lot of what went down firsthand. I can't bring myself to root for the Thunder let alone watch the games. Because I remember what the ownership did. To me, they brought to light the ugly side of sports. As much as I didn't like LeBron James and how he handed "The Decision", that wasn't as bad as what the Thunder ownership group and David Stern did to the city of Seattle. Growing up I was a huge NBA fan. But now, the NBA is like 4th or 5th (behind NFL, MLB, NHL & soccer). I hope that someday Seattle gets a franchise back. But the consequences of what happened with the Thunder still continue to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
*Speaking of soccer, right now in Europe there's a major tournament going on called Euro 2012. The top 16 European countries are competing in a tournament to decide the top team in all of Europe. The tourney is held every four years and this year it's being held in Poland & the Ukraine. I'm happy that Poland is getting to co-host the tourney (sad that they got knocked out of the tourney a few days ago). I loved going over there a few years ago and spending the summer as an intern doing ministry work. I continue to pray for the people of Poland (specifically those in the city of Krakow) and major international tournaments like this are a great reminder to pray for countries.
Showing posts with label poland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poland. Show all posts
Monday, June 18, 2012
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Reflections on World Cup 2010
One of the major sporting events in the world has begun. It is the World Cup, the major championship for soccer (or football as it is known in the rest of the world). It takes place every four years and involves the 32 top nations in the world that qualify for the tourney.
It is probably the one major sporting event I have little knowledge of personally. I didn't get into soccer until I was in college. I do barely remember when the World Cup was in the U.S. back in 1994 but I didn't really keep up with it. When I was in college, I roomed for a time with a missionary kid (MK) from Nigeria and it was through him (along with other MKs and internationals) that I really learned about soccer and started to take notice of it. I would watch soccer in the afternoons on ESPN when I got back from class.
I still would not say I'm an expert in any sense of the word. I do like watching the games, especially when it's a major event like the World Cup.
This year it is in South Africa, first time the World Cup has been in Africa I do believe. It must be weird to be playing a "summer" event in "winter" (since it's in the southern hemisphere). So far the weather hasn't been much of a factor so we'll see if that continues.
Of course personally, I am rooting for the USA. I would love to see them win. I do root for an international team. I would be rooting for Poland but they didn't qualify. So, I'll be rooting for France. Yes, France. I like their team and have since they won the cup back in 1998.
The World Cup stage is one of the biggest in the world. I hope and pray that those players who are believers will be a good example and will have the opportunity to share their faith to teammates, opponents and to the world.
It's also a great way to pray for countries. When you're watching a match, pray for those countries and for the believers that are in those countries. Who knows, God might lead you to go to one of those countries and share your faith there.
It is probably the one major sporting event I have little knowledge of personally. I didn't get into soccer until I was in college. I do barely remember when the World Cup was in the U.S. back in 1994 but I didn't really keep up with it. When I was in college, I roomed for a time with a missionary kid (MK) from Nigeria and it was through him (along with other MKs and internationals) that I really learned about soccer and started to take notice of it. I would watch soccer in the afternoons on ESPN when I got back from class.
I still would not say I'm an expert in any sense of the word. I do like watching the games, especially when it's a major event like the World Cup.
This year it is in South Africa, first time the World Cup has been in Africa I do believe. It must be weird to be playing a "summer" event in "winter" (since it's in the southern hemisphere). So far the weather hasn't been much of a factor so we'll see if that continues.
Of course personally, I am rooting for the USA. I would love to see them win. I do root for an international team. I would be rooting for Poland but they didn't qualify. So, I'll be rooting for France. Yes, France. I like their team and have since they won the cup back in 1998.
The World Cup stage is one of the biggest in the world. I hope and pray that those players who are believers will be a good example and will have the opportunity to share their faith to teammates, opponents and to the world.
It's also a great way to pray for countries. When you're watching a match, pray for those countries and for the believers that are in those countries. Who knows, God might lead you to go to one of those countries and share your faith there.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
American Football in Poland
It has been awhile since my last post. For those that don't know, I have been in Poland for about a month now serving as an intern. I've been getting my sports fix from keeping up online with scores and video highlights (cause of the 7 hour time difference).
Today, however, was a cool experience. I went to an American Football game here in Krakow. One of the people that I'm working with is helping coach a team here and helped to get the program going. The team is called the Krakow Tigers and they play in a league against other teams in Poland. Today they played against their crosstown rivals, the Krakow Knights. On top of that, I was put in charge of helping to film for the game cause the one who normally does it is out of the country on vacation.
It was really interesting watching a game that I love being played here in Poland. The fans that were there were into the game. There was a public address announcer that would describe the action (he was rooting for the Tigers, it was a home game for them) in Polish and then get people to chant "Let's go offense" or "Let's go defense" in English. The wave was done several times and at halftime, there was a throwing competition and a kicking competition with some fans from the stands.
The game itself was pretty good. There was some sloppy plays on both sides with multiple false starts and offsides along with several personal fouls called. There were also some cool plays such as an onside kick recovered by the Tigers. They also took the opening kickoff of the second half all the way back for the touchdown. In the end, the Tigers were too much for the Knights as they ended up winning 44-8.
It was a cool experience and it has me excited for when I get back to the States and for football season to get started.
Today, however, was a cool experience. I went to an American Football game here in Krakow. One of the people that I'm working with is helping coach a team here and helped to get the program going. The team is called the Krakow Tigers and they play in a league against other teams in Poland. Today they played against their crosstown rivals, the Krakow Knights. On top of that, I was put in charge of helping to film for the game cause the one who normally does it is out of the country on vacation.
It was really interesting watching a game that I love being played here in Poland. The fans that were there were into the game. There was a public address announcer that would describe the action (he was rooting for the Tigers, it was a home game for them) in Polish and then get people to chant "Let's go offense" or "Let's go defense" in English. The wave was done several times and at halftime, there was a throwing competition and a kicking competition with some fans from the stands.
The game itself was pretty good. There was some sloppy plays on both sides with multiple false starts and offsides along with several personal fouls called. There were also some cool plays such as an onside kick recovered by the Tigers. They also took the opening kickoff of the second half all the way back for the touchdown. In the end, the Tigers were too much for the Knights as they ended up winning 44-8.
It was a cool experience and it has me excited for when I get back to the States and for football season to get started.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)