As the Super Bowl ascends and the teams take their places on the gridiron, leaders rise up and bask in the glory of an America that loves a noble leader. They love him or they love to hate him, but all Americans today love watching Peyton Manning. Many of those same people don’t know the name of the vice president or speaker of the House.
Why?
Peyton Manning might annoy some, but not his own offensive line. Instead of blaming them for mishaps on the field, he takes responsibility for those and lavishes his linemen with gifts, like expensive watches and custom tailored suits. He understands one thing: Without them, he never completes a pass.
Lao Tzu said “a leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: ‘We did it ourselves.’”
The hard truth is that Americans are far more captivated by football than politics.
But why?
Football won’t put money in their pockets or food on their tables. Football didn’t free the slaves or bring us through Sept. 11. Football doesn’t win wars or protect our homeland.
Approximately 33.5 million people watch the president’s State of the Union address. But 108 million watch the Super Bowl.
It gets even more peculiar.
An overwhelming majority of football fans identifies as “strong Christians.” That number is even more staggering when you venture into the South and consider SEC football. There it is all about God and football.
But only 50 percent of those same professed Christians who warm the church pews Sunday even bother to vote in a general election, according to Pew Research. While as many as 55 percent of American women watch the Super Bowl, Pew Research says only 20 percent of Christian women even vote in a general election. Those same numbers are even more abysmal…
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