Sports Fans Often Clap

SPORTS FANS OFTEN CLAP in rhythm to encourage favorite athletes or teams to perform well. In the 1989 Caribbean Zone Track and Field Championships, the sound propelled high jumper Javier Sotomayor to unprecedented heights.

After Sotomayor missed his first attempt at 8 feet, the stadium scoreboard flashed the quiet sign. With every event except the high jump completed, the crowd focused on the 21-year-old Cuban.

The arena grew still as everybody watched Sotomayor perform his prejump ritual of slapping his thighs, arms, and face. Suddenly, the sound of a single person clapping punctuated the silence. One of his Cuban teammates pounded his hands together to inspire the jumper.

A few more joined in. Within moments the entire venue reverberated with fervent clamor. Pumped with adrenaline, Sotomayor bounded from the right side of the crossbar, planted his foot, and soared. The 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound athlete grazed the bar slightly, making it shiver for a few tense seconds. After the crosspiece had firmly settled in place, applause boomed. The track star leaped from the pit, performed a backflip, and collapsed beneath a mob of teammates.

Officials measured his jump at 2.44 meters, or 8 feet-1/8 inch. Sotomayor became the first high jumper to clear the 8-foot barrier. His historic leap occurred 33 years after Charles Dumas became the first to break the 7-foot mark.

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POINT Could Javier Sotomayor have broken the elusive 8-foot barrier without the clapping crowd? Absolutely. After all, as a youngster he had practiced high jumping with dried sugarcane sticks stretched across a rusty oil drum. He definitely possessed internal strength and determination.

But would Sotomayor have cleared the record height without the reverberating claps? Possibly not. He needed the rush, the push, the knowledge that everybody was supporting him echoing in his head.

Like the teammate who began the rhythmic applause, the psalmist urged people to clap their hands in praise to God. He asked for shouts of joy to the Lord. Does God need our praise to be our God? Absolutely not. But we need to praise him to express our awe and adoration.

GOAL! Attend a sporting event or watch one on TV. Note the crowd’s involvement, particularly their clapping. Praise God with clapping and shouts of joy.