Connecting the game of football with spiritual development

I have been pondering on the real "Why" for the creation of johndolezal.com and, by God's grace, the "Why" has appeared. My website exists for two purposes. One purpose is personal and for my own formation and transformation journey (my "Sense of Becoming" journey). The other purpose is to encourage others as they journey to becoming more fully who God created them to be (to be more "Christ-like").

My website has a blog ("Bohemian's Rhapsody") and the "Sense of Becoming" page and they seem to fit well for both of the purposes. However, I have made a page that relates to my love for the game of football and, more specifically, my love for Oklahoma State Cowboy football which might seem as unrelated to the two purposes of the website.

After praying and doing some simple research I discovered what I think is a connection between the game of football and spiritual development. The brief article below seems to communicate the "connection."

FIRST THINGS FIRST - Connecting the game of football with spiritual development

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According to Christian Scholar's Review:

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"Athletes/fans often adopt a competitive mindset in which discipline, commitment, and training are central virtues. The Christian faith also involves those same virtues."

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"Spiritual disciplines are repeated practices of the mind, body, and heart that rely on God the Father, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and are directed by Christ. We can think of these intentional practices to develop our spirituality as 'soul-training.'  

Christians have abundant opportunities to train their souls in and through sports".