What did you think of Richard Sherman's Interview?

I've never had such anticipation for a Sunday NFL lineup like I was looking forward to last Sunday's Championship games.  Then to my shock Richard Sherman gave what will be a life-long defining rant at the end of the second game.  What was your take?  Millions have recorded their opinions all over social media and in conversations this week.

My take was initial shock but not a lingering shock.  My initial shock was simply the result of being conditioned to always hear palatable and respectful (although not always sincere) sound bytes from players and coaches as they leave the field.  Yet, it didn't take long for me to simply brush Sherman's comments aside remembering that many NFL players representing every team have the same big-time ego with some concealing it better than others.

Here are three important truths I will share with my sons after watching this with them:

1) It's always so much nicer to be able to learn from someone else's mistakes.  I hate to put my foot in my mouth and would much rather learn from someone else doing the same.  The tirade from Richard Sherman couldn't have been better at illustrating how obviously inappropriate it is to have poor sportsmanship after a game.  Lesson #1 - Our kids need to learn in competition that win or lose we do it with humility and respect because it reflects on us, our family, our team, and our God.

2) I've been a part of leading meetings, mission trips, and big events when afterwards I was very "keyed up," "agitated," "frustrated," "tired," you pick it.  I wouldn't have wanted a microphone put in front of me at that point for fear of what I might have said that I would soon after regret.  Lesson #2 - Let's talk about not speaking when we're too emotional and also teach our kids not to be immediately critical of someone else who realizes later he crossed a line in the heat of the moment.


3) This time of year we give a lot of attention to NFL players as the Super Bowl approaches.  I'll also toss in the Grammys and the Oscars which are around the corner.  We state emphatically that "I love Richard Shermon, Frank Gore, Tom Brady Peyton Manning."  Or I "love Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams" etc.   But then they do something in real life that we don't love.

So what do we mean when we say that we love these celebrities.  Many (most?) of them don't share our faith, our family values, our convictions.  Many are truly and deeply conflicted, insecure and depressed.  In fact we'd all find many of the celebrities we "love" to be very difficult to hang out with because of how self-absorbed they are.  So why should we be shocked when Richard Sherman opens his mouth and reveals that he isn't the poster boy for Jesus' Beatitudes?

Honestly, we "love" celebrities because they impress us with their abilities and performances and our evaluation stops there.  That makes us just as shallow as we accuse them of being.   Lesson #3 - Let's help our children learn to appreciate celebrities who not only impress us physically but also have the attitudes, values, and faith that are so much more important.  I want to point out to my boys when I see: strong work ethic, praise for others, honesty, committed marriages (you can find a few of these,) integrity, generosity, and especially genuine faith in Christ.

Let's demonstrate a willingness to think about celebrities critically without being critical.