Sports With Simmons: When Seven Rings Isn’t Enough
All humans crave recognition, and many seek to find it through athletics.
But perhaps no American athlete in the modern era has left his mark more than Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. Earlier this month – at the ripe age of 43 – Brady engineered one of the most unexpected championship runs in NFL history when he led his squad to a 31-9 blowout victory over the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs. The victory gave Brady his seventh Super Bowl ring, giving him more titles than any franchise in the league and cementing his status as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
You might think seven rings would be enough to quench his heart’s desire for success. But Brady gave us a penetrating glimpse into the state of his heart in a 60 Minutes interview in 2005 with Steve Kroft.
At this stage of his life, Brady was 27, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots who made enough money before his 30s to retire and live the rest of his life in luxury. From those on the outside looking in, Brady had it all.
But Brady did not feel that way – and he said so in the interview.
“Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there is something greater out there for me?” Brady said. “Maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what it is.’ I’ve reached my goal, my dream. But I think, ‘God, there’s got to be more than this.’ This can’t be all that it’s cracked up to be, I’ve done it, I’m 27. What else is there for me?”
After Brady finished musing about the complexities of his psyche, Kroft asked a very simple question.
“What’s the answer?”
To which Brady gave a very simple reply.
“I wish I knew. I wish I knew.”
Sixteen years have passed since that interview, and since then he has shattered records, redefined athletic longevity and won four more Super Bowls. And even with all his success, Brady competes as if he has proven nothing. He frequently states that his favorite Super Bowl ring is “the next one.”
Some may say that he’s just a ruthless competitor and that he holds this mentality to continue his level of greatness. But Brady’s own confession reveals that he’s still searching for something that winning Super Bowls cannot provide.
Brady may have changed and found something to satisfy his heart. But the bigger issue is that if Tom Brady, owner of more rings than Joe Montana, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and numerous other athletic legends isn’t satisfied by all that winning, can anyone be satisfied by winning in sports?
If we are honest, the majority of us will say no.
I can personally testify to this reality. I’ve been an athlete since I was five years old, and while my accomplishments are nothing in the grand scheme of things, I’ve still had a career that I can be proud of. But winning tournaments, earning awards and having successful seasons does not satisfy the longing in my heart for recognition – it still burns within me daily.
Fortunately, the Bible explains why. Isaiah 40:6 says, “All flesh (men) is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field.” Any attempt at human glory eventually fades and never satisfies.
Now if the Bible left us with Isaiah 40:6, we would have an answer for why we are not satisfied by winning – but have no solution for how to satisfy our craving. But the Bible does not leave us hanging, instead showing us where to find something that will satisfy us.
Philippians 2:10-11 states that one day, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
As the creator of the universe, God already boasts a glory beyond the limited comprehensions of man. He does not need to sacrifice countless hours to train, compete and struggle in the hopes of getting a fleeting taste of glory. He already has it, and his glory is wonderful.
This is wonderful news. If we accept Jesus as our Savior, we no longer have to use athletics to satisfy us. The glory he has is given to us once we become believers in him. This is what satisfies our hearts. Therefore, the athlete, especially the Christian one, is freed from their need for sports to do what only God can.
So, whether you are Tom Brady or one of the millions of Americans engaged in sports, finding your ultimate satisfaction and identity in sports will eventually fail you. But take heart, because athletics is not the end. God is our satisfaction, and our hearts find rest when we accept his glory as enough.
John Simmons is the Web Manager. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnSimmonsJr7.