Every Fourth of July is special to me.
It has always been one of my favorite holidays, not because of the fireworks or backyard cookouts, but because it gives me an opportunity to pause and appreciate the incredible blessings God has given us through this country.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to travel throughout the world. I’ve visited more than a dozen countries across multiple continents. Every trip has been memorable. Every culture has taught me something. Every country has its own beauty, traditions, and history.
But every time I come home, I’m reminded of the same thing: There really is no place like the United States.
That doesn’t mean America is perfect. We have our flaws. We wrestle with difficult issues, just like every nation throughout history. We have challenges that deserve honest conversations and thoughtful solutions. Yet despite all of that, I remain deeply grateful to call this country home.
I’ve found the kindness, generosity, and optimism of Americans to be second to none.
This Independence Day feels especially meaningful as our nation celebrates its 250th birthday. It’s a reminder that the freedoms we often take for granted – the freedom to worship, to speak, to build businesses, to pursue our dreams, and even to gather around something as simple as a sporting event – are tremendous blessings from God.
Those thoughts have been on my mind even more over the past several weeks as I’ve watched the World Cup unfold across the United States.
Ironically, it hasn’t been the soccer that has moved me the most.
It’s been the people.
I’ve watched video after video of visitors from around the world experiencing America for the first time. Many arrived with assumptions shaped by headlines, social media, or stereotypes. They expected hostility, division, or even danger.
Instead, they found something completely different.
They found generous people.
They found welcoming communities.
They found neighbors willing to help complete strangers.
One video showed a German fan who found himself stranded after a match in Boston. Unable to get back to his hotel, he became overwhelmed. A complete stranger simply stopped, asked what was wrong, and gave him a ride back to his hotel.
No cameras.
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No publicity stunt.
Just kindness.
Another German visitor, Freddy, became an internet sensation simply because he embraced everything America had to offer from Waffle House and Buc-ee’s to college football stadiums and Southern hospitality. Other videos showed fans from dozens of countries singing together, trading jerseys, sharing meals, and celebrating alongside Americans.
What struck me wasn’t just how much these visitors enjoyed America.
It was how many admitted that the reality was completely different from what they expected.
Watching those moments reminded me of something that often gets lost in today’s culture.
There is far more that unites us than divides us.
As I watched fans from every corner of the world laughing together, celebrating together, and consoling one another after heartbreaking losses, I couldn’t help but see something much bigger than sports.
I saw one of God’s greatest gifts.
As a Christian, I don’t separate my faith from my work in sports. My relationship with Christ shapes how I view everything, including athletics. Sports should never become our identity or replace our devotion to God, but I believe they are one of His expressions of common grace, a gift given to all people that allows people from every tribe, language, nation, and background to experience fellowship.
That may be one of the greatest blessings sports have to offer.
Created for Relationship
The opening chapters of Genesis remind us that after creating the world, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Athletic competition wasn’t invented by ESPN. Teamwork wasn’t created by Nike. The Olympics didn’t invent our desire to compete, strive, or celebrate excellence.
God created us with those capacities.
Sports simply provide one of the many ways we express them.
Years ago, my wife and I were searching for our first home after moving to northeast Indiana. During an open house, we struck up a conversation with a young realtor. Before long, we discovered we were both die-hard Chicago Cubs fans.
We spent the next several minutes talking baseball, complaining about the bullpen, and celebrating the Cubs’ recent success. When we left, I turned to my wife and jokingly said, “That’s our realtor.”
He was.
Now, I’d like to think we didn’t make a 30-year financial decision solely because someone loved the Cubs, but sports did what sports so often do. They turned two strangers into friends.
Ecclesiastes reminds us, “Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
Whether it’s teammates, coaches, parents, fans, fellow travelers, or the family sitting next to you at a Little League game, sports continually create opportunities for relationships to grow. We were created for fellowship, and sports often become one of the ways God brings people together.
Breaking Down Barriers
Watching the World Cup has been a beautiful reminder that sports often succeed where politics, culture, and even language struggle.
Fans from Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, England, Argentina, Germany, and the United States stand shoulder to shoulder celebrating the same match. They may not speak the same language, but they understand a brilliant goal, an incredible comeback, or the heartbreak of a last-second defeat.
That image reminds me of Acts 10.
In Peter’s encounter with Cornelius, God intentionally broke down the barriers that divided Jews and Gentiles. Peter ultimately realized that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right.
The gospel is for every nation.
Sports don’t accomplish salvation, but they often create opportunities for people from every nation to experience fellowship. They remind us that, despite our differences, we share far more in common than we sometimes realize.
Perhaps that’s one reason they’re so powerful.
Sports Teach Virtues Worth Living
The Apostle Paul repeatedly used athletic imagery to explain the Christian life.
In 1 Corinthians 9, he compared believers to disciplined runners competing for an eternal prize.
Hebrews 12 urges us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Near the end of his life, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.”
Why would Scripture repeatedly turn to sports?
Because athletics teach many of the same virtues God desires in His people.
Perseverance.
Humility.
Sacrifice.
Discipline.
Teamwork.
Courage.
Servant leadership.
These aren’t simply athletic qualities.
They’re life qualities.
They’re discipleship qualities.
God’s Creativity on Display
One of the things I love most about sports is the incredible diversity they showcase.
Some athletes are marathon runners.
Others are sumo wrestlers.
Some are quarterbacks.
Others are gymnasts.
Some coach.
Some organize.
Some sell tickets.
Some volunteer in the concession stand.
Everyone contributes.
Paul makes this exact point in 1 Corinthians 12 when he compares the Church to the human body. Every part serves a different purpose, yet every part is essential.
The same is true in sports.
No championship is won by one person alone.
Every athlete, coach, official, trainer, parent, volunteer, and staff member plays a role. God’s creativity is reflected not only in the diversity of sports themselves, but also in the diverse gifts He gives each of us.
A Wonderful Gift, But a Terrible God
There is, however, an important caution.
Sports make wonderful gifts.
They make terrible gods.
Whenever our identity becomes wrapped up entirely in a team, a school, or an athlete, we’ve taken something good and made it ultimate.
Only Christ deserves that place.
Sports can unite us.
Only Jesus can truly reconcile us.
That distinction matters.
More Than a Game
If you’ve followed my writing or listened to my podcast, you know I love discussing the business of sports and sports leadership.
But every once in a while, it’s important to step back and remember why any of this matters.
Sports are more than entertainment.
They’re more than business.
They’re more than wins and losses.
Every Little League field.
Every neighborhood basketball court.
Every soccer pitch.
Every baseball stadium.
Every gymnasium.
They’re places where God allows people to experience friendship, excellence, joy, perseverance, hope, and community.
Those are gifts worth celebrating.
As we celebrate another Independence Day, I’m thankful not only for the freedoms we enjoy in America, but also that we live in a country where people from every corner of the world can gather around something as simple as a soccer match and leave with a new appreciation for one another.
Maybe that’s one more reminder that while sports can never save us, they can still point us toward the God who created us for fellowship.