I suppose it is still "sin" for non-Christians as well, but for non-Christians it doesn't really matter if they sin or not, they are already doomed, no matter how good (ironically) or bad they may be (remember, U cannot earn your way into heaven with good deeds, even tho Christians should be filled with good fruits)
And so, for Christians we have to examine ourselves about how much time we dedicate to non-evangelical activities . I believe evangelical activity should be the substance of our lives once we come to faith, and continue to grow accordingly (ie "therefore go & make disciples" (Matt28.19) among many other verses encouraging Christians to be the light, tell the Good News, etc).
Hence, for many years I didn't even watch the superbowl, but then last year I found a church that shows the game in their activity center ,and I feel a bit less at ease watching the game there; albeit I still have tried to incorporate the game of football in general into evangelizing (with a football blog),and still examine myself in regards to how much time & interest I extend towards the superbowl or any of the other football games or season in general.
Furthermore, football must be examined from a different perspective than other sports given the increasing realization of the potential dangers it poses to players heads,brains,etc. Increasingly, we are becoming aware of the danger of head trauma especially at the youth level (I just heard a story a few days ago about those who started playing before age 12 ("...Researchers tested 42 retired players between the ages
of 40 and 69 and found that those who started playing
football prior to age 12 performed "significantly worse"
on three measures: estimated verbal IQ; executive
function, which includes reasoning and planning; and..."
http://m.espn.go.com/general/story?storyId=12243012&src=desktop&wjb )
...sure,there needs more studies to continue to verify & reduce potential statistical errors,etc,but common sense (and medical evidence as well) leads most people of discernment to agree that there are obvious dangers
Hence, back to the theological context: Anything we intentionally do that is clearly harmful or potentially harmful to our bodies (either mentally, spiritually, physically, etc) which are made in the Image of God (Imago Deo),is a sin because we are the "temple of God" (individually & collectively).("Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Cor 3.16)
When I was playing football as a youth in the mid to late 70's we didn't yet have much awareness as a society about the danger of football re head trauma. That was back in the day when cigarette warnings were generally ignored, when seatbelt laws were non-existent, even drinking & driving was not highly frowned upon or penalized. Our society had not yet gotten the wake-up call (I still have some reservations about the seatbelt laws, but don't have the time to explain that here & now).Yet now we clearly know better. There's no denying the potential harm (at least not that I've heard argued).
Thus, for the reasons mentioned above, I encourage people, especially fellow Christians, to examine yourself re how much time you spend viewing or playing football,not just the Superbowl, but yearly. And also, examine how you might incorporate football into being better as an evangelical Christian (which includes Catholics, Orthodox,et al....I'm using the word "evangelical" as a general description of our duty as ALL believers in Jesus Christ, not just those who specifically call themselves "evangelical Christians" or are labelled as such by the media (ie "protestant evangelical Christians")
How can you use football as an opportunity to reach the unreached? The church where I will watch the big game today may be trying to do this in a very loose way (anybody is invited not just Christians or members).Myself, as mentioned,I try to blog about football with an emphasis on faith & the Bible,etc Maybe if you attend games you can at least pass out a few pamplets,or put them under windshield wipers at the game.
Or take some quiet time to pray during the game(¬ about the outcome),turning off the TV for a few minutes. Or cutting 10% out of your superbowl budget (ie food & beer etc you may be buying) & giving it to the church, a charity,a homeless person,etc. Whatever the case may be, I encourage you to use football as a means to an end,rather than an end itself . That's what I think God cares about most!
Finally, if the end were to come in the middle of the "big game" what do you want to be "caught doing",so to speak? Again, sports & recreation in general are obviously not sinful in general, but in all things we should be thinking about the glory of God & not man. I'm not sure how a few hours of pure self-indulgence is for the glory of God,unless you have found some way to make football a regenerative process that makes you a better person,like exercise,or other activities that are not specifically praise & worship as you find in a church setting.
But again,that's why I say try to incorporate an evangelical approach to the game,so it can become in some way exactly that,so that as Christians we don't become so "unworldly" to the extent we have no relevance to the culture around us .
And that's the final point about being generally aware of what's happening in sports and entertainment etc. Even if you don't personally have any interest in the game or the oscars etc Lots of unreached people do,and if we don't know a bit about what's happening around us in the world,we don't have a connection to the unreached! They think we are IRRELEVANT as Christians if we don't know anything about the world.
Maybe you say, that's their problem, but NO, it is OUR problem, because once again as true Christians it is our duty & obligation to try to reach others with the Gospel, and that means making efforts to analyze HOW to reach people, and then doing so. If that includes being a bit more aware about who won the Oscars for Best Picture,so be it! Or if it means knowing who won the Superbowl,or why one team lost, or about deflated footballs, so be it! General awareness is important in some regards.
However, once again, make sure it truly is about "them" (ie reaching others) & not about self or self-indulgence! God bless you ! Happy Superbowl 4 God, 2015!
-vk-
*The Broncos defeated the Packers by the score of 31–24. The game was played on January 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, the second time .."
