A football player made an anti semitic remark recently and social media has been abuzz.
Just to keep things in perspective: Of course people must be called out for anti semitism, whoever they are. But I can't say that I [as a Jew] am offended. This is a man who gets paid millions to crush people's skulls and break their bones - all in the holy task of getting a piece of דבר אחר painted brown and white past a white line.
That is what he does. Does that require intelligence? Very little. Does that require cruelty? Quite a bit. Our society worships sports so the statements of athletes are taken far more seriously than they should be.
The moment the Avoda Zara of sports is cast aside, people will stop paying special attention to what athletes say.
Now that the sports leagues are suspended this is a GREAT time to wean ourselves off this Avoda Zara and appreciate sports for what they are: Games and at best a pleasant diversion.
So ENJOY but don't worship. How revealing is the word for a person who likes sports: "Fan" - short for "fanatic". When one is fanatical about the wrong things - then the right things, the true ideals, suffer.
