The Seven Deadly Sins of Sports: Pride, Greed, Lust, and Wrath

October 28, 2022

Read Time: 10 minutes

God is dead.  I believe in God, but it’s clear to me that we’ve come a long way since Jesus, the Medici dynasty, and even Pope Benedict XVI.  However, something that has sincerely, 100% and without question, stuck in our global culture is the seven deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth.  Arguments can be made that all of these are always lurking in all of us at all times.  To that I say, that is fair.  But, it’s not my goal here today to start blasting the sinners of all their sins.  I want to talk about a few people in sports and just a little about things that may be sins. 

Pride = Tom Brady

Tom, you’re my guy.  Nothing gets my day going like watching a video of the greats of sports history from the 20th and 21st centuries being great. 

I’ll never forget halftime of the Super Bowl when New England played Atlanta.  It’s a personal story, but my friend wanted to leave at halftime.  I understood.  It was Sunday, the score was 28-3, my buddy had to work the next day, and he had a 2-hour drive once he left to get back home for work.  Again, I understood, but I did not care.  I opened my mouth and the words fell out, “Buddy, this is history.  Do you want to miss history?” 

He stayed.  The rest is…history.

Today, Tom is going through a divorce, he’s either a working rage-aholic or a raging workaholic, and his team looks terrible on television.  I think it’s partly because of Pride. 

From my understanding, Tom did not really-really-really choose his retirement on his own 100%.  This probably irked him.  And because he has that competition in him, not retiring on his own was not an option.  This is Pride in action: he could not just let go and submit to the greater power of All the Matter in the Universe.  All the Matter in the Universe that isn’t made up of Tom Brady decided that Adam Schefter was going to decide Tom Brady’s fate for him.  And Adam Schefter using his non-Tom Brady Matter reported incorrectly that Tom Brady was retired. 

Now, it was Tom Brady vs. All the Matter in the Universe.  Tom Brady, who controlled everything, his diet, the line of scrimmage, which team he played for, etc…was no longer in control. 

Since announcing his retirement, Tom Brady has un-retired.  It seems that he’s stuck his Prideful chest out and said to All of the Matter in the Universe, “No.  I’m right and you’re wrong.”

To that I wish Tom Brady, good luck.

Greed = Dennis Schroeder (also see: Nerlens Noel)

Dennis Schroeder is an a-okay basketball player.  He can dribble, hit a nice jump shot, and he can run an offense from the point guard position.  According to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021, all of these things put together equated to a contract offer of $84 million over a 4-year timespan for Dennis Schroeder.  A well-earned contract for a hardworking man.

Dennis Schroeder, on the other hand, thought he was worth more than what the Los Angeles Lakers were offering.  It’s natural to be Greedy.  “Greed is good” once said Gordon Gecko, a fictional criminal.  Dennis wanted to play the market.

The market decided Dennis was worth $5 million for 1-year.  That’s heartbreaking.  I don’t care how much money anyone earns in this lifetime…I don’t care what hole in the ground the most unfortunate person in the world lives in…losing nearly $80 million stings.  To this day, according to Basketball Reference, Dennis has not made $80 million in his career.  In a world where guys who are “a-okay” at basketball make $20-30, even $50 million a year…that really-really stings.  

Oh, and guess what?  In 2022, the Los Angeles Lakers made another contract offer.  Just one year later the Lakers dropped their offer from $84 million over 4 years…to $1.8 million over 1 year. 

The market moved and it crushed Dennis Schroeder. 

Nerlens Noel lived the same story.  One day the Dallas Mavericks offered him $70 million for 4 years.  The next, he said it wasn’t enough money.  The next, Nerlens found himself signing a deal for $4.1 million for 1 year. 

Greed is good.  Sometimes you win, like Gordon Gecko before the events of the movie Wall Street.  Sometimes you lose, like Gordon Gecko at the end of the movie Wall Street.  At least Dennis and Nerlens didn’t end up in prison. 

Lust = Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving

Somewhere in some universe, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are making sweet-sweet love to one another.  Shoot, even in this one, they seem to make sweet-sweet basketball love to one another.

The attraction is obvious.  Both of them can put a basketball in a basketball hoop unlike anyone else in the history of mankind.  There is video evidence of them gushing sweet lullabies to one another in the form of conversation.  Kyrie Irving has told Kevin Durant before, on camera, that he was Kevin Durant in a past life.  I love the analysis.  I have incredible respect for the implementation of Hindu principles.

But, at some point, the honeymoon will end.  Either through personal issues, contract disputes, retirement, or just plain old age.  Nothing lasts forever.  Honestly, I can see these guys honeymooning into their 80’s and still getting buckets together on some court somewhere. 

But if they want more than Lust, they’re going to have to start asking for and wanting more than Lust.  They’re going to have to start having difficult conversations and making difficult choices.  I don’t know what those conversations and choices are…it is for them personally to find out.  I do know Lust is a sin.  I don’t know what that means for Kevin and Kyrie. 

No matter how many more rings, no matter how many more finals trips, no matter how many more years they have together, I do know the best-case scenario.  Not just for Kevin and Kyrie, but for all of us who love sports.  I pray and hope these guys are still hooping at 80.

Wrath = Tyreek Hill, Adrian Peterson, Slava Voynov, etc.

Quit hitting women and children.  Or anyone that’s not wearing pads.

Time for a joke:

"Knock-knock"

"Who's there?"

"To."

"To who?"

"To whom."