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Why it's hard to believe in Ray Lewis
By Kirk Minihane (1/16/13)
Let's get this out of the way: I don't believe in God.
I've wrestled with it, looked into almost every religion at one point or another over the last 15 years for some kind of answer (though I skipped Scientology -- being of reasonably sound mind, it's tough to get behind a religion that believes it all began some 75 million years ago in a Galactic Confederacy ruled by the evil Xenu), wanting desperately for something close to confirmation that all of this couldn't have just started by physical law -- at some point there had to be nothing and then there was something, right? Well, how did that happen?
But in the end I just simply don't believe there is someone or something watching above all of this, it doesn't add up for me. Too many holes in every theory, too much reliance on faith and not close to enough proof.
I'm envious, though, of those who do believe, those who are truly convinced there is something better waiting for them at the end, the bravery of folks to go all in on it. I have plenty of family and friends who fall into that category, and it's a funny thing: They take their religion very seriously (while obviously battling doubt and sometimes questioning why things happen if there is a God but also relying on religion as a source of comfort in the aftermath of the same event -- Newtown as the latest example), believe there is an all-powerful and knowing maker, and yet I've never heard any of them express real joy in the knowledge that God evidently watches and has also a rooting interest in every sporting event and awards show on this planet.
Which brings us to Ray Lewis. For all I know, Lewis has legitimately turned his life around. If you watched his "A Football Life" on NFL Network (and why would they have any motivation to spin things positively?) you saw a man who says all the right things, acknowledges his past mistakes and is trying to be a good father and servant to his God. That's swell, it really is. And ESPN (always the leader in pro-athlete propaganda) and many if not most of the media has gone along with this angle as Lewis nears his retirement. No doubt, don't question, move on. Ray Lewis is a great guy, Kobe Bryant is a great guy again, just as Lance Armstrong was until he wasn't (though he probably will be again if he sits down for enough interviews with enough sympathetic ears -- this is how it works).
Maybe I'm just a born cynic, but can we just consider the arrogance of Ray Lewis for a moment? Maybe he's right and I'm wrong and there is a God (and I hope he is right), and maybe that God does believe in the impossible, but I suspect very highly that God decided to use a football game in Denver last Saturday to flex his miracle muscles, considerable as they may be. First, when it comes to the impossible, I'd rank the Ravens -- coming off an AFC title appearance last year -- going into Denver and beating Peyton Manning (now 9-11 in the postseason) in a playoff game somewhere behind the parting of the Red Sea. Nine-point underdogs or moving a massive body of water to create a path to freedom for the Israelites?
Second, am I to assume that Lewis believes that God wanted the Ravens to win, which would clearly mean He wanted the Broncos to lose? There's the true arrogance -- are you telling me there isn't a player or member of the Broncos organization who doesn't have as much faith in God as Lewis does? What does that message send to that person?
Hey, did you know Matthew Slater is a devout Christian? Probably you didn't, because he doesn't feel the need to broadcast his beliefs at every opportunity, doesn't hunt down cameras to give praise in what comes across as half lousy infomercial, half redemption tour. If the Ravens go into Gillette and win on Sunday -- I think a very real possibility -- and Lewis is crying on the field and screaming about another miracle to Sal Paolantonio and God's role in the win, should Matthew Slater start questioning his beliefs? I'm being sarcastic, of course, I'm sure Slater knows his God concerns Himself with all the things that truly matter in the world and isn't picking sides in a football game just because Ray Lewis is retiring at the end of the season.
Ray Lewis is a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the four or five best linebackers in history at worst. He's also an opportunist, never missing a chance to showcase his leadership (or dance) skills in front of a camera (think about it: How many speeches from Tom Brady or Derek Jeter have you seen on television? But do you think those guys are leaders?). There is more than a whiff of fraud with Lewis, and that's even before we touch on the still-unresolved murders of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar in Atlanta on Jan. 31, 2000. Lewis' role in the murders and his knowledge of what did or did not happen that night remains unknown (Lewis had his murder charge dismissed in exchange for testimony against Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, he pled guilty to obstruction of justice and later reached a financial settlement with the Baker and Lollar families), as does the location of the white suit Lewis wore that evening, which prosecutors claimed was bloodstained.
Lewis -- always quick to tell reporters to read their Bible -- refuses to talk about specifics regarding the case when asked, though he did tell students at Harvard last March that "those families that were affected will never know the truth. And that's sad."
Uh, why can't Lewis tell the families exactly what happened? Too busy filming Madden 13 commercials and auditioning for a job at ESPN? Again, I'm not religious, but if I were half as devout as Lewis claims to be I would be obsessed with finding out who killed Baker and Lollar, if only to bring peace to the families and to myself. That strikes me as the most Christian thing to do, no? (Did I miss the interviews with members of the Baker and Lollar families on "A Football Life?" Must be part of the deleted scenes on the DVD.)
But that's not going to happen, and you can speculate why or why not. Here's what will happen: Ray Lewis will be the subject of breathless profiles all week long leading up to this game. People -- Patriots players included -- will talk about Lewis as if he is some kind of higher power. Lewis will give a pregame speech to his team that CBS will somehow (another miracle) manage to get clear video and audio of, and the fellas on TV will pretend this is a completely organic event, even though it happens every single week.
And win or lose, Lewis will be the story. And his first words after the game will be about God, but they'll really be about Ray Lewis.
Great football player but ruthless self-promoter, enabled by a media only too happy to close their eyes and go along for the ride. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe CBS or NFL Network or ESPN will devote 20 minutes to the Baker and Lollar familes and their search for justice on Sunday.
Now that would be a miracle.
By Kirk Minihane (1/16/13)
Let's get this out of the way: I don't believe in God.
I've wrestled with it, looked into almost every religion at one point or another over the last 15 years for some kind of answer (though I skipped Scientology -- being of reasonably sound mind, it's tough to get behind a religion that believes it all began some 75 million years ago in a Galactic Confederacy ruled by the evil Xenu), wanting desperately for something close to confirmation that all of this couldn't have just started by physical law -- at some point there had to be nothing and then there was something, right? Well, how did that happen?
But in the end I just simply don't believe there is someone or something watching above all of this, it doesn't add up for me. Too many holes in every theory, too much reliance on faith and not close to enough proof.
I'm envious, though, of those who do believe, those who are truly convinced there is something better waiting for them at the end, the bravery of folks to go all in on it. I have plenty of family and friends who fall into that category, and it's a funny thing: They take their religion very seriously (while obviously battling doubt and sometimes questioning why things happen if there is a God but also relying on religion as a source of comfort in the aftermath of the same event -- Newtown as the latest example), believe there is an all-powerful and knowing maker, and yet I've never heard any of them express real joy in the knowledge that God evidently watches and has also a rooting interest in every sporting event and awards show on this planet.
Which brings us to Ray Lewis. For all I know, Lewis has legitimately turned his life around. If you watched his "A Football Life" on NFL Network (and why would they have any motivation to spin things positively?) you saw a man who says all the right things, acknowledges his past mistakes and is trying to be a good father and servant to his God. That's swell, it really is. And ESPN (always the leader in pro-athlete propaganda) and many if not most of the media has gone along with this angle as Lewis nears his retirement. No doubt, don't question, move on. Ray Lewis is a great guy, Kobe Bryant is a great guy again, just as Lance Armstrong was until he wasn't (though he probably will be again if he sits down for enough interviews with enough sympathetic ears -- this is how it works).
Maybe I'm just a born cynic, but can we just consider the arrogance of Ray Lewis for a moment? Maybe he's right and I'm wrong and there is a God (and I hope he is right), and maybe that God does believe in the impossible, but I suspect very highly that God decided to use a football game in Denver last Saturday to flex his miracle muscles, considerable as they may be. First, when it comes to the impossible, I'd rank the Ravens -- coming off an AFC title appearance last year -- going into Denver and beating Peyton Manning (now 9-11 in the postseason) in a playoff game somewhere behind the parting of the Red Sea. Nine-point underdogs or moving a massive body of water to create a path to freedom for the Israelites?
Second, am I to assume that Lewis believes that God wanted the Ravens to win, which would clearly mean He wanted the Broncos to lose? There's the true arrogance -- are you telling me there isn't a player or member of the Broncos organization who doesn't have as much faith in God as Lewis does? What does that message send to that person?
Hey, did you know Matthew Slater is a devout Christian? Probably you didn't, because he doesn't feel the need to broadcast his beliefs at every opportunity, doesn't hunt down cameras to give praise in what comes across as half lousy infomercial, half redemption tour. If the Ravens go into Gillette and win on Sunday -- I think a very real possibility -- and Lewis is crying on the field and screaming about another miracle to Sal Paolantonio and God's role in the win, should Matthew Slater start questioning his beliefs? I'm being sarcastic, of course, I'm sure Slater knows his God concerns Himself with all the things that truly matter in the world and isn't picking sides in a football game just because Ray Lewis is retiring at the end of the season.
Ray Lewis is a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the four or five best linebackers in history at worst. He's also an opportunist, never missing a chance to showcase his leadership (or dance) skills in front of a camera (think about it: How many speeches from Tom Brady or Derek Jeter have you seen on television? But do you think those guys are leaders?). There is more than a whiff of fraud with Lewis, and that's even before we touch on the still-unresolved murders of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar in Atlanta on Jan. 31, 2000. Lewis' role in the murders and his knowledge of what did or did not happen that night remains unknown (Lewis had his murder charge dismissed in exchange for testimony against Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, he pled guilty to obstruction of justice and later reached a financial settlement with the Baker and Lollar families), as does the location of the white suit Lewis wore that evening, which prosecutors claimed was bloodstained.
Lewis -- always quick to tell reporters to read their Bible -- refuses to talk about specifics regarding the case when asked, though he did tell students at Harvard last March that "those families that were affected will never know the truth. And that's sad."
Uh, why can't Lewis tell the families exactly what happened? Too busy filming Madden 13 commercials and auditioning for a job at ESPN? Again, I'm not religious, but if I were half as devout as Lewis claims to be I would be obsessed with finding out who killed Baker and Lollar, if only to bring peace to the families and to myself. That strikes me as the most Christian thing to do, no? (Did I miss the interviews with members of the Baker and Lollar families on "A Football Life?" Must be part of the deleted scenes on the DVD.)
But that's not going to happen, and you can speculate why or why not. Here's what will happen: Ray Lewis will be the subject of breathless profiles all week long leading up to this game. People -- Patriots players included -- will talk about Lewis as if he is some kind of higher power. Lewis will give a pregame speech to his team that CBS will somehow (another miracle) manage to get clear video and audio of, and the fellas on TV will pretend this is a completely organic event, even though it happens every single week.
And win or lose, Lewis will be the story. And his first words after the game will be about God, but they'll really be about Ray Lewis.
Great football player but ruthless self-promoter, enabled by a media only too happy to close their eyes and go along for the ride. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe CBS or NFL Network or ESPN will devote 20 minutes to the Baker and Lollar familes and their search for justice on Sunday.
Now that would be a miracle.
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