Now, I have a friend, who will remain unnamed, who cheered for certain sports teams while he grew up. In his thirties, he accepted a job in the New York City area, and, thus, he changed his favorite teams to New York teams. Conveniently, at the same time as the Giants won the Super Bowl, but that’s beside the point.

I, myself, have grown up cheering for every Philadelphia team that there is (yes, even the MISL team, the “Kixx”). I love the Phillies. I love the Eagles. I love the Flyers [the Sixers, I can live without, but I love them too like I love an uncle who I never see and gives large financial contracts to mediocre friends]. You get the point. In Philadelphia (much like other blue-collar cities/towns), you live and die with your teams. I could never, ever, ever think about switching teams, but…

If I were to change the location of my ministry, should I change the teams I cheer for in order to be more missionally minded? Better yet, who would Jesus cheer for in that situation?

For some of you, this is no big deal, but, for me, it is. This may seem like a lame topic, but it’s a serious one for someone who loves his or her team so much. I could never see myself moving to New York and cheering for the Giants, or worse, the Yankees [or even worse, move to Queens and be a…a…a…(gulp)…Mets fan]. But would I be missing out on missional opportunities because I’m unable to relate with New York fans because I insist on being a Philly fan?

I don’t think many people think about this. But maybe being missional, maybe being part of the kingdom of God means changing teams? So, maybe my unnamed friend is right to cheer for the Yankees and Giants (as much as I hate to say it).

What do you think?

[PS- Yankees suck!]