The Most "Christian" Sport

Is there a "Christian" sport?

In the South, college football and Nascar fans would attest that God loves their sport most. Some might even say he is a fan.

I live in Kentucky. So you probably have a good guess what sport is the most "Christian" to us. (Seriously, Wildcat fans pray more for their basketball team than anything else.)

Coastal people have to think God loves surfing. They bask in God's creation while looking pretty and having cool lingo.

In other parts of the world soccer or track might be the favorite.

But there is one sport that has to be the most "Christian" in America.

This sport is played by Christians around the world.

More decidedly, it's played in churches. This has to make it holy and God's favorite.

Christians in America dominate this sport.

What's the sport?

Ping pong.

Or table tennis if you prefer.

Christians love them some ping pong.

It's in the church that I learned how to play the game.

First to 11, win by two, and can't lose on serve.

I thought I was pretty good until I met someone who embodies the essence of what makes a ping pong player great.

I was at a friend's house when he asked if I wanted to play some ping pong.

I said sure and started talking some smack.

His 12 year old son wanted to play, too.

I didn't think about it when I headed towards the table, while they went to get their paddles from their rooms. That should have been one prophetic clue for what was to take place.

My friend crushed me. (Like, he made cry a little.) Then his 12 year old son crushed me. (That made me cry a lot.) My world came crashing down on me.

The humiliating defeat helped to define the criteria for what makes a great ping pong player.

There are four criterion. One can determine how good they are based on these:

1) Member of a large, highly competitive family. These people have played a lot of table tennis. You get bonus points if your family had access to a table.

2) Grew up invovled in a youth group. Most churches have a ping pong table. My church doesn't own a piano, but we do a table. Youth groups are breeding grounds for table tennis players.

3) Went to college. College students play a lot of ping pong. You get bonus points if you went to a Christian college, because that's where the elite youth group members end up. Christian colleges are always better at ping pong than state and private schools.

4) You have your own paddle. Not only do you have your own paddle, but it is taped to your liking and no one else or nothing is allowed to touch it but you. Maybe you even named your paddle.

Your serve: what is the most "Christian" sport?

Have you played ping pong at church? Do you have the makings of a great ping pong player?