Friday Fun: Five Reasons, as a Christian, Not to Cheer On the Green Bay Packers

Disclaimer: This is all tongue-in-cheek. Do not take this seriously at all!

Myself? I’m a pastor who comes from a heritage of Vikings fans. I grew up in Chicago and currently serve in Wisconsin. I’ve had plenty of theological interface with Packers fans, and we all, of course, seek the discipleship and godly betterment of all football teams and their fanbases. However, I’ve heard several assertions of the Green Bay Packers as “God’s team.” With the faithful, mature and charitable example of Aaron Rodgers aside, I have a few objections to that assertion, listed below.

1) Tendency toward exceptionalism to the law. Only the Green Bay Packers, given the team’s seniority in the history of the NFL, are allowed in the NFL’s by-laws to be owned “by the community.” The pride over this unique aspect has given a sense of entitlement, sometimes above other laws, which is not biblical. As Christians, we’re to be respectful of the law and thankful for Grace, also being willing to, as Paul says, sacrifice the “rights of an apostle” for the good of others.

2) The celebration of what Solomon calls the meaningless toil of man. The Cowboys, Steelers, and 49ers are also teams that struggle with this blatant humanism. Rather than name their team after a vicious yet beautiful creature of God’s creation (e.g. Bears) or a warrior who signifies local heritage yet acknowledges a higher power (e.g. Vikings) or a cause bigger than himself (e.g. Patriots), the Packers are among a few teams whose very foundational essence is a mean and end of man. Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes against finding any meaning and significance in the work of man, and the rest of the Bible (and especially Reformed theologians) would warn against such inherent anthropocentricism.

3) The idolatry of trophies and titles. The NFL playoff series stands apart from its counterparts in the MLB, NBA and NHL because each round is only one game. Winning the NBA Finals (plural), the World Series, or the Stanley Cup is a matter of skill, consistency and endurance, whereas winning the Lombardi Trophy is a matter of skill and convergence. The Super Bowl champion is not necessarily the best team of the year. Looking at perhaps more comprehensive measurements of prestige, we see that the Green Bay Packers have a similar W-L record to their divisional opponents, and actually trail in rivalries and divisional titles. This does nothing, however, to temper Titletown’s boasting of its trophies, indicating its idolatry and vanity.

4) Basking in the praise of fools. Only when the Packers lost in the playoffs during the 2011 season did a headline read “Breaking News.” The 2012 season’s replacement refs only needing replacing once the Packers (gasp) wrongfully lost a game. Regular readers of NFL.com blogs can annually expect their “experts” to predict a Packers‘ Super Bowl win at the beginning of the season. The faults, both on and off the field, of the Packers are glossed over, while their opponents are seen as heartless villains. After all, Green Bay is the lovable little community of hard working Americans that could, and is patriotic as the Marine Corps. and apple pie. Who would have the heart not to support them? Indeed, the Packers have the sports media wrapped around their finger. And they know it. Christians should seriously question themselves to follow such anti-intellectual hype and vanity.

5) The Culture’s preference for propaganda over truth. Jay Cutler, despite his bonafide injury, took time to coach his backup QB during the 2010 NFC Championship game. Aaron Rodgers (as well as many other Packers) maintained a good and respectful friendship with Brett Favre during the 2009-10 seasons. And no, the Packers defense didn’t reduce Adrian Peterson’s yards in the 2012 playoffs; the Vikings (foolishly) only gave him half the usual carries. These are all truths that don’t find their way into the minds that look to the more comforting and inspiring kitsch of Packer propaganda. Of course many fanbases struggle with this temptation, but it has a tendency to be more common in fanbases with more bandwagoners. And we all know how important Truth is in the Bible. 

With these reasons in mind, I cannot find myself supporting or recommending that anyone else support the Green Bay Packers. I hope my meditations helped you to reconsider your priorities. May God bless you in your life and your worship.