In professional football it has become almost impossible to legally tackle a quarterback. You can’t hit him too low in the legs, you can’t hit him too high in the head and neck area. You can’t hit him anywhere while leading with your helmet. You can’t slam him down, and when he falls you can’t land on top of him.
When he decides to run with the ball, if he sees he is about to be tackled, he can, at the last instant, drop into a slide. You can’t make any contact with him once he has begun this maneuver.
Quarterbacks get all of this favorable treatment because, let’s be honest, they are considered more important than the other players. They get paid far more money. They become the faces of their franchise. They make the TV commercials, date famous celebrities and get their pictures on boxes of breakfast cereal. Teams and advertisers invest so much money in them, special rules have to be passed to protect the investment. When it comes time to hand out awards for Most Valuable Player, quarterbacks are almost always the winners.
‘The other players’
The other players on the team take a much harder beating, yet there are few special rules to protect them. They will never openly complain about this. Casting your quarterback in a negative light makes you a malcontent, and could also get you unemployed. It’s got to be frustrating, doing your job well while somebody else gets the glory.
Have you noticed much of life can be frustrating that way? Some get the attention while others more deserving go unnoticed. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t play favorites when it comes to salvation? Imagine special rules making it easier for rich people to get to heaven. Or famous celebrities. Or prestigious world leaders. Or quarterbacks.
But God loves everyone. He offers the same path to all who accept Him as Lord and Savior. You don’t have to be wealthy or famous or powerful , or even athletic, to ensure your eternal destiny. Luke 18:14 says, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
I love football. And I’m a big fan of talented quarterbacks. It’s just comforting to know that, when it comes to God’s plan, we all play by the same rules.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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