God's Coaching #21

God's Coaching #21

Usually tennis is thought of as a gentlemen’s sport, but not when John McEnroe took the court. For 15 years, John was known as the bad boy of professional tennis. He’d complain about calls, yell at fans in the stands, and throw his racket when he made a bad shot. The only thing that could keep up with John’s mouth was his amazing talent. From 1981 to 1984, he finished as the top-ranked player in the world, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Sometimes John’s bad attitude was a problem that even his talent couldn’t overcome. At the 1990 Australian Open, John was disqualified from the tournament for his poor behavior. John was ahead of Mikael Pernfors when the umpire ended the match after citing John for his third unsportsmanlike conduct infraction.

John’s first warning came in the third set when he stared at a lineswoman who made a call in Mikael’s favor. Then in the fourth set, he missed a shot and slammed his racket to the ground. The umpire called him for “racket abuse.” The final straw came when John argued against the racket abuse penalty and then called a tournament official a bad name. According to ATP rules, three infractions demanded an immediate disqualification. The match was given to Mikael.

What’s the Score?

Rarely do you see a professional athlete lose his cool with an official. From a young age, athletes are taught to respect the umpires. But John rarely finished a match without yelling at an umpire. Sometimes John was right. He knew the ball was in when it was called out, and he let his anger about the bad call explode. John won seven Grand Slam tournaments and 104 career singles titles. Yet some experts wonder how good John could’ve been had he been able to control his temper.

The Bible is clear. In Ecclesiastes 7:9, King Solomon (who’s considered one of the wisest people in history) wrote, “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.” John’s anger often made him look foolish. Fans would boo his tantrums. Newspapers in Great Britain called him “SuperBrat.” When you play sports or deal with people at school or church or home, do your best to keep your anger under control.

On the Ball

Do you have a problem with anger? Write down a situation that made you angry:

Now pray and ask God to forgive you and to give you the strength and wisdom to handle the situation differently next time.

Coach’s Comment

Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. Ecclesiastes 7:9