Second Chances and America's Favorite Indoor Sport

[With a little editing, this will be the next column for the Community Press newspapers.]

"The sad thing is that people will denigrate all these terrific teams that have had great years," I said. "If teams don't win national championships, they're considered losers."

The subject of conversation between my son and me was this year's NCAA tournament. Cinderella-like, teams that aren't supposed to be in the Final Four are still there as we approach the tourney's last weekend. But I was lamenting the way good teams are savaged if they aren't the last ones dancing.

"The same thing happens every year to the team that loses the Super Bowl," I pointed out. "People dismiss them as bums."

And we don't just apply this "all or nothing" mentality to sports. It crops up in more consequential areas of life.

Like the American presidency. William Jennings Bryan was nominated for President by the Democrats three different times. Adlai Stevenson was nominated by the Dems to oppose Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and after getting his clock cleaned by Ike, got nominated again in 1956. Richard Nixon lost to John Kennedy in the race for the presidency in 1960 and was seen as a terminal loser after getting beaten by Pat Brown in the California gubernatorial race in 1962. Yet, Nixon won the presidency in 1968 and retained it in 1972.

Today though, there seem to be no second chances in American politics. A pol who's been implicated in some hugely unethical act may have a better chance of being elected to high office in America than does someone who loses a big election.

Consider John Kerry, for example. In 2004, Kerry received more votes than any Democratic candidate for President in history. He narrowly lost the presidency to an incumbent who, as my son pointed out to me, was also a wartime chief. I'm not a Democrat, but no matter what your politics, you'd have to conclude, after his 2004 performance, that the guy deserves to be the front runner for the 2008 Dem nomination. But he's dismissed.

American life sometimes seems to have become a stupid un-reality show. Like the savage masses gathered in the ancient Roman Colosseum, our thumbs itch to point down.

We can rightly rail against the buddy connections that give the husband of a wealthy widow or the son of a former President shots at the nation's highest office they might not otherwise enjoy. It's legitimate for us to dislike the politics of privilege that should be foreign to democracies.

But part of our dismissal of those who lose after striving for the highest places in their fields--whether it's an NCAA championship, a Super Bowl ring, or the Presidency--is seamier than that, I think.

We resent those whose talents are more honored than our own. Their achievements make us feel judged for failing to develop the skills we do possess.

When talented people with good work habits fail to climb to the peaks of their own Mount Everests, it makes us feel better about ourselves. We take solace from being able to dismiss the prominent or high-achievers as mediocrities. By our criticisms of them and our refusal to give them second chances, we effectively say, "They're just like us, after all."

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes, "By the grace of God, I am what I am." Here is reflected both deep humility and high self-esteem.

In first-century Christianity, Paul, who had once persecuted the Church, was a johnny-come-lately to faith in Christ, the "last of the apostles," as he put it. Some questioned his right to be a proclaimer of Jesus Christ, God-in-the-flesh Who offers freely forgiveness and eternity to all who believe in Him.

Paul responded that by God's grace--God's charity--he was who he was:

• The last kid picked, but picked nonetheless.
• Undeserving, but welcomed by God anyway.
• A sinner, but forgiven for the sake of his repentance and faith in Jesus.
• Grateful for a place in God's Kingdom, Paul focused on being his best, rather than excusing his worst by tearing other people down.

I have a suspicion that if, like Paul, we dared to accept the acceptance of us that God offers through Jesus Christ, we would feel no need to drag others down. We would be so busy honing our own talents and abilities to do our best for God that we would have no time (or patience) for making others look small.

Next time you're at the water cooler and people start playing America's favorite indoor sport, ripping other people, from politicians to co-workers, try finding something good to say about them instead.