Tim Tebow's 'game theory'

(Photo by Julio Reis)

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the most professionally astute thing for Tim Tebow to recently announce that "in the end, football is a just silly game."  But when he followed it up with "Greatness comes from serving," he seemed to be spiritually right on target.

These statements were made before a crowd of over 10,000 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.  The Convocation at which Tebow was speaking is billed as "North America's largest weekly gathering of Christian students…"  He also explained to this

Evangelical group that "…we serve a big God and your goals should be as big as the God we serve."

Although football may indeed be a "silly game" (especially considering those injured-for-life players), the

"game" aspect of it is not the problem.  Calling something a "game" used to denote something frivolous (Candy Land comes to mind).  Since the advent of mathematical "game theory" back in the 1940s, however, the term has come into its own.  Nowadays, game theory can be so complex that even scholars find it challenging.

Nevertheless, this theory has paved the way for "Everyman" and his cousins to view life itself as a game. Steve Pavlina, a self-proclaimed specialist in "personal development for smart people," looks at it this way:  "Having been a game designer myself, I found it easy to start seeing life as a game filled with compelling choices…  We're presented with a wide variety of choices for skill building, resource acquisition, relationships, and more."

The "and more" is what Tebow was emphasizing.  Why just fill in the gap between birth and death with worldly stuff (and nonsense)?  Why not make it really count by focusing upon spiritual goals?  Concluding with a "silly football" analogy, Tim warned:  You don't know when you are in your fourth quarter.  You don't know how much time you have left.  He then asked these urgent questions:  Are you ready?  Are you willing to finish strong? 

Resources

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2013/03/11/tim-tebow-isnt-worrying-about-football-future/

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=2586

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/12/life-the-ultimate-game/

Copyright March 12, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved