Team USA Basketball: Redemption???

As I layed down in my bed at 11:30 pm last night I tuned into my hosptial TV in my room to watch Sportscenter. What I discovered was Stuart Scott (creator of phrases such as "boo-yah" and "as cool as the other side of the pillow") talking about redemption? Stu actually defined the word and told of it's origin. He proceeded to say that redemption was "the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil" (the exact web definition). Stu then transitioned into talking about USA basketball and how redemption had come. How there once was a Dream Team, but it had been replaced by the Redeem Team. He spoke of how Kobe, Lebron, and DWade would not be denied the chance to provide deliverance from another international basketball disaster for the USA. It was at this point that I almost threw up. In the context that Stu created he had placed the potential loss in a Gold medal basketball game (Redemption not occuring) in the same category as not being saved from sin (Redemption not occuring - in a sense Jesus not going to the cross). The fact of the matter is - some people see the temporary disaster of losing baskeball games - on the same level as the eternal disaster created if you don't know Jesus. Jeremy Schapp also reported and started his report with, "Clearly - in Beijing there was redemption! - the US hasn't won a global tournament in 8 years......Dwayne Wade @ one point saved team USA."

I love sports and following sports - I've portioned a significant amount of my life to them, but at times they sicken me as reporters try to be effective communications gurus. Plenty other metaphors and analogies can be made that put these sports in their proper temporary gain perspective. I guess this shouldn't surprise me as other terms I've heard lately are "Two out hits - get you to heaven" and referencing Adrain Peterson a popular blogger said "Oh you mean Purple Jesus!" My response to this is prayer. Pray for these columinsts, bloggers, and sports achors - that they would see Jesus as Savior and the ultimate one that rescues and redeems as David Crowder has said "Redemption has come down - liberating man"