By Brad Locke
February 13, 2004

(AgapePress) - Would it be too much trouble if we just let sports be, well, sports? Can we let the games stand on their own as entertainment? Is it possible for Congress to pass a "separation of Hollywood and sport" bill?

Thanks mainly to the advent of the Super Bowl halftime show, sports has become just another stage for celebrities of the non-athletic variety. And thanks to the most recent Super Bowl halftime show, sports has become inextricably tied to the dredges of the secular entertainment industry (not that there's really any other level). Professional sports may not have been "pure" beforehand, but they sure were a lot more enjoyable before annoying pop stars invaded what was supposed to be a restful break from the action.

But Americans have developed this odd habit of needing to be entertained at all times, sitting on their obese rears and expecting someone else to fill the vacuum in their heads. We've reached the point where even simple halftime analysis is too boring. Goodness knows we don't want to examine how the Mavericks were able to exploit the Kings' zone defense, or why Tom Brady is finding so many open receivers. That might result in actual mental stimulation. We might learn something!

I remember the first time I really noticed when halftime shows became obnoxiously entertainment-driven. It was during the 2001 NBA Finals between the Lakers and 76ers. Instead of the announcers throwing it back to the studio for some astute reflections about the first-half action, we were forced to watch the classy ladies of Destiny's Child gyrate in skimpy attire. Another night, NBC carried part of a U2 concert -- in Boston. Nowhere near the game.

Truthfully, baseball began the whole phenomenon with its JumboTrons and exploding scoreboards. Fans are no longer content to watch players warm up before the game or review their scorecards between innings (who even keeps score anymore, besides me?). Now we're shown highlight clips or silly hat races. Heck, we can't even muster up our own enthusiasm during play. We won't cheer unless the scoreboard tells us to or if there's musical accompaniment.

And a quick note about ESPN, home of the sports/entertainment show Cold Pizza, and espn.com, home of Page 3 ("Where sports and entertainment meet"). I visit sports channels and websites to catch up on sports, not to find out what Ben and Jen were thinking when they made Gigli (though that is a legitimate question).

Then there's the showboating that's become so commonplace -- particularly in the NFL -- which I find insulting for the mere fact that these athletes assume I'm too dumb to appreciate their feats, so they feel the need to act like idiots to get me to notice them.

This union of sports and the Hollywood mindset, unholy as it is, is merely a sign of society's skewed priorities. We value brainless entertainment over actual mental and emotional stimulation and interaction. I touched on this tendency a few weeks ago when I lamented our sound-bite culture and how it has pervaded the sports world. I then went on to compare that tragedy to a parallel, but greater, tragedy within Christendom.

To expand on that analogy a bit, it seems that like sports, religion is viewed more and more as something that must be spiced up to be engaging. Some friends from our church, upon moving to our town, visited a large church on the other side of town. After no more than five minutes, they got up and walked out because they said it felt more like a concert than a worship service.

We have preachers watering down the gospel. They'll read a passage, close the Bible, then expound on some social issue, totally ignoring how God's Word addresses said issue. As long as the anecdotes are funny and thought-provoking theology is ignored, the masses will be pacified in their ignorance.

I suppose I'm chasing rabbits now, but that's OK as long as you catch 'em. I simply wish the sports world would reject Hollywood outright and embrace the game itself. Even most athletes will admit that pro sports (and probably college sports) are a business, and the business they're in is entertainment.

How can we stop this nonsense? Call your congressman today.