Reflections on the 2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London have come to a close.  Here are some reflections looking back at the XXX Summer Olympics.

*Like I said before, Michael Phelps was dominant.  He will go down probably as the best Olympian of this generation.  It will be a long time (if ever) that someone will match his medal total.

*Along the lines of dominant, Usain Bolt would qualify as well.  To repeat gold in sprinting is very impressive.  Definitely when you think speed, Bolt comes to mind.  It will be interesting to see if he will compete in Rio in 4 years.  I haven't heard otherwise.  So we could have the first man to three-peat winning the gold in the 100m....which would put him in line for best Olympian of this generation with Phelps.

*It was great to see an All-American final in women's beach volleyball.  Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Jennings won their 3rd gold in a row.  They were impressive in that they only lost 1 set in their Olympic career together.  I admit that I was rooting for Jennifer Kessy and April Ross to win but in the end was happy for Misty and Kerri.  What's interesting is that Misty is retiring but Kerri is continuing on to Rio.  So she could be going for her 4th gold medal in 4 Olympics.  Something to watch for...

*The women's basketball team won their 5th consecutive Gold medal dating back to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.  It is the longest Gold medal streak in any women's sport in the Olympics.  It seemed that in this Olympics a lot of talk went to the women's soccer team and not so much to the basketball team.  But regardless, what the basketball team did was impressive and they will strive for a 6th straight Gold medal in Rio.

*On the men's side, they did their job in winning another Gold medal.  They had a tough finals against Spain and won by only 7.  A lot was made about this year's team in comparison to the '92 Dream Team but in an of themselves they were a good team.  I still don't think this year's team could beat the '08 Redeem Team, but they did win the Gold so props to them.  I hope that the pros continue to play in the Olympics because it makes it mean more.  I don't think there will be changes in 4 years but after that who knows.

*This Olympics was definitely the "Social Media" Olympics.  Twitter was still in it's infancy in '08 and was picking up steam in '10 in Vancouver but this year it was everywhere.  Coupled that with smart phones and online coverage and it seemed that everyone was talking about the Olympics in those mediums.  That coupled with the disdain for tape delay (a tradition in Olympic coverage) made for a lot of frustrating times when it came to the "primetime" events.  Part of that I said before was the '08 games had more of the "primetime" events live & not on tape delay given it was halfway around the world.  With it only being about 5 hours from East Coast to London it was just rough.  However, the next Winter & Summer games could be less of that.  I do think NBC will tweak their coverage and improve it based on the "social media" response that was given.

*Overall, London did a great job and should be commended.  It'll be interesting how Rio does in 4 years.

Another Cool Twitter Encounter

Ever since I got on Twitter (back around 2009), it has been for me a really good tool.  It has been my go to place for status updates for Facebook, a place for real time thoughts on games and events, and a really great place to interact with people that I don't normally get to interact with face to face.  I would say that my experience on Twitter has been 98% positive.

Another of the 98% happened last week.  To preface, a couple of months ago I started listening to a podcast called SportsYapp (there's a link to some of the podcasts on this blog.  It's done by Sports Spectrum, which is a sports magazine that tells stories about those in sports and their faith in Jesus.  On the podcast, Bryce Johnson, who is the host, will talk about sports and entertainment and Jesus along with interviewing those in the sports & entertainment fields.  Some of the people Bryce has interviewed have been CBS analyst Clark Kellogg, ESPN writer & commentator Chris Broussard, Tennessee Titans punter Brett Kern, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brad Smith & Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw among others.  It's a really cool podcast.  If you haven't checked it out yet, you ought to give it a try.

So I follow SportsYapp on Twitter.  Recently I began to follow Jason Romano on Twitter.  Who is Jason Romano you ask?  Well Jason is the Senior Talent Producer at ESPN.  He is in charge of booking guests and analyst for the various shows on the ESPN family of networks.  I started following Jason on Twitter for 3 reasons (in no particular order).  One, he talks about sports and the various people that come through Bristol.  Two, he shares Scripture and his faith.  Three, he randomly has pictures of when Star Wars was visiting ESPN on his Twitter profile picture sometimes.  Pretty good combination in my book.

Now that you know the backstory, here's the cool encounter.  So last Monday (March 26th), I @ replied to SportsYapp suggesting they should try and get Jason Romano on their podcast because I thought it'd be a good interview.  Well not even a few minutes later I get a message from Jason contacting me about it and where to reach him and that he'd love to do it if he was able to get permission from ESPN.  I then sent a message to Bryce with Jason's contact info and that was that.

This week rolls around and the interview was up yesterday.  It was a really good interview about some of the behind the scenes stuff of what it takes to get talent on air.  Jason also shared his testimony and what it's like to live out his faith where he works.  The link to the interview is here.

It's really cool how God uses such things like Twitter for His glory.  And it's a really cool reminder that even something as simple as a tweet can be used in a big way.

Syncretism and LeBron James: Mixing Karma and God

There are times when I should know to not be surprised.  When it comes to LeBron James, I guess I still get surprised by some of the things he says.  The latest thing he said was in a tweet Tuesday night that came out after his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers got blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers.  James tweeted the following:  "Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It's not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

When I first read the tweet (which was later retweeted by Michael Smith, ESPN columnist), I didn't know the context of the Cavs/Lakers game.  I just read it straight up.  My first thought was "You're mixing God and karma....they really don't go together."  I wondered if he understood that or if to him they're the same thing or if he thinks God uses karma or whatever.  When I found out the context, I thought "Well it seems he is still bitter and holding onto some hurt there."

The next day he then responds kind of backpedaling saying the following:  "It's just how I was feeling at the time.  It wasn't even a comment from me, it was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out  It wasn't toward that team.  It definitely wasn't a good showing by that team last night, I know they wish they would've played better."  First off, if he retweeted it, probably would have been designated as a retweet.  Second, he doesn't say where it comes from, he just says someone sent it to him.  Aside from the twitter ettiqute of knowing what you're tweeting, it is interesting how he will say a controversial comment one day and then the next day try and defend or retract the statement.

But as much as that stood out, another comment that he gave stood out.  He said when talking about karma, it is a word or concept that "I've kinda always used my whole life."  You want to know something (or someone) LeBron that's better than karma?  Jesus.  Instead of getting what we deserve for the bad that we do, we can put our faith and trust in Jesus, who died for our sins and we don't have to worry about trying to do good to save ourselves (because we can never do enough good for that).

I hope that LeBron comes to know Jesus in a personal way as his Lord and Savior.  Because right now it seems that he's trying to do his own thing to appease karma.  And you can't really mix karma & God.  Doesn't really work...

Reflections on Steve Johnson & His Tweet to God

Sometimes there are stories in sports that are just ripe for talking about.  This happened to be one of them.  Steve Johnson (or Stevie Johnson as he's also known) is a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills.  He's having a breakout season in his third year in the league.  He has 9 touchdowns already and is on pace for a 1,000 yard receiving season.  He helped the Bills in a comeback win against the Bengals a couple of weeks ago.

Last Sunday he didn't have such a great game.  He dropped several passes including one in overtime that would've won the game for the Bills.  Instead the Steelers went on to win on a field goal.  After the game, Johnson talked with the media and shared about how he won't forget about that dropped pass.  You could tell he was really taking it hard.  I felt bad for him.

A few hours later, on his twitter account was this tweet: 
I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...

His tweet was addressed to God.  When I first heard about this I was like really?  It came across initially as he was blaming God for dropping those passes.  Now prior to Sunday, I knew a little about him and it seemed like he had faith in God.  So when I saw that tweet I was like huh?

Have there been times in my life when I've questioned God?  Yes but I usually kept that between the Father and me.  I never really expressed it aloud, and I didn't tweet about it.  There have been times I've been frustrated with God.  So in that sense I understand some where Johnson was coming from.  Would I have sent that tweet if I was in his shoes?  Probably not.  I might have typed it out but I don't think I would've hit the send button.

Do I think he has a legit faith?  Yeah I think so.  I would hope this has been a learning experience for him.  I think I've learned from it.  It's a reminder that God allows us to throw up questions to Him.  He may not give us the answer at the time but He does answer.  He has a plan and purpose for all of us.

We have a sphere of influence with which God allows us to express our faith and witness for Him.  We are to take the opportunities God provides whether good or bad and use them for His glory and purpose.

(The next day after his tweet to God, Johnson responded by saying this: 
I learned A lot Within 24hrs. Saw Both Sides.(Ups&Dwns) I AM HAPPY & THANKFUL 4 YESTERDAY! w/out Sunday iWldnt have grew closer w/The Lord!!
And No I Did Not Blame God People! Seriously??!? CMon! I Simply Cried Out And Asked Why? Jus Like yal did wen sumthin went wrong n ur life!
So Before Yall..well I'm pretty sure you've awready judged me. I hope you guys look n the mirror. I dnt blame u 4 being mad @ my gm I WAS 2!
Spoke To Friends Fam Teammates and Most Importantly I Spoke With My Wife. I Honestly Believe Evrything Happens For A Reason! Everything!)

Twitter, Sports and Opportunities for Encouragment

I've thought about writing on this for awhile and finally have found the time to do it. One of the trends in the past few years is the use of Twitter. For those who don't know what Twitter is, it's a form of social media that people use 140 characters to convey messages about where they are, what they're doing, or what they're feeling as well as conversing with others. It has grown in scope and usage to where people from a variety of places and popularity use it. It has become a place where people get their news (I found out the death of Michael Jackson's death from Twitter first), some promote products or connect with other people. This is particularly the case with celebrities/athletes as many have Twitter accounts and regularly tweet (write a message).

Back in January there was an ESPN.com article written by Amy K. Nelson that touched on the access that Twitter has given to fans and athletes regarding Chad Ochocinco (Johnson) and a fan of his who passed away and the tribute Chad gave to the fan last season. I would recommend reading the article and you can find a link to the article here.

I personally initially did not get into Twitter but I eventually did get an account and have regularly tweeted since then. Of course most of what I've tweeted about has been either about my faith, what's going on in my life and about sports. I follow friends of mine along with following athletes, coaches, sports reporters, analysts, and other "famous" people in the arena of sports. From this, I've found it a great way to learn more about my favorite teams and players and people that I watch on TV. A great example of this is Mark Schlereth. He is an analyst for ESPN for the NFL. He was an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos and on Super Bowl winning teams with both franchises. Along with tweets on the NFL and his chili that he promotes, he regularly talks about his faith. On Sundays, he shares a "churchy thought" which consists of sharing a Bible verse and a thought along with it. I've found it to be a nice source of reflection and a blessing to read as I'm out the door to church or back from church.

One of the cool things that Twitter allows people to do is a thing called at reply. Basically you put the @ symbol along with the username of someone on twitter and you can communicate with them. I use that a lot to talk to friends. I also use it to communicate with those athletes, coaches, reporters and analysts. It is a opportunity to communicate in ways that previously weren't there. And what I've tried to do along with expressing my opinion on sports is to also send a word of encouragement. I'm sure many of them get thousands of messages or more a day. But just as I'm called to encourage those I come in contact with in real life, in reflecting Christ to them, Twitter is a way to encourage and reflect Christ not only to those you know but also to those you don't. In some small way, I hope that word or two is an encouragement to them. I truly believe that God can use you through Twitter just as He can use you through other means of communication.

The cool thing is God has gifted each one with talents and passions to use for His glory. When we're doing that, He's being glorified and we're doing what He's called us to. So whatever your passion and talent, see how you can do it for God. For me, that's blogging and tweeting about Jesus and sports. :)