OK. This is my first article ever about sports. I was the wimpy, sickly kid who couldn’t play anything really well; the kid who knows what it’s like to be standing among those last to be chosen no matter what the sport (even card games, forbidden in my religious home along with movies and dancing). Ironically, I grew up in one of the great American sports cities. Cleveland, Ohio.

As a young kid, I met the legendary Jim Brown, the great record-setting Cleveland Browns running back who, in 2002, The Sporting News named the greatest American Football player ever. And on the same day I met Jim Brown, I also had my first hamburger from what would become all the rage – McDonald’s. I even saw Don King, America’s famous boxing and music promoter, around town with his wild hair sticking straight up as if he had stuck his fingers in a light socket and been set on fire.

Seemingly at the vortex of the American sports universe, one baseball Opening Day, as a young businessman, I had a drink and chat at the then famous Theatrical Restaurant with Cleveland native, the legendary George Steinbrenner – owner of the New York Yankees, who passed away this year. Like the great John D Rockefeller, Steinbrenner was one of the great Clevelanders who got away to New York City – much to Cleveland’s regret. And like Rockefeller, we never forgave him for it, God rest his soul.

Many years later, who could blame basketball icon LeBron James – who would make the cover of Time Magazine and even host the popular Saturday Night Live television show – for leaving Cleveland.He had a chance to win it all with a “dream team” of all-stars recruited by a team called the Miami Heat. But Cleveland felt the sting of his disloyalty and a bit of cavalier meanness to his loyal subjects, who called him King James – most likely the unintentional insensitivity of a mere 26 year-old. Within 24 hours, the 110 foot tall iconic image of James that reigned over Cleveland with outstretched arms and the words: “We are all witnesses”, was cursed and pelted by once-adoring fans and quickly removed by angry management, speaking publicly with unusual frankness and candor.

Why did Nike literally lift these New Testament words from Peter and the disciples who spoke of Jesus’ new way and resurrection, to convey the athletic prowess of a modern athlete like LeBron James? Perhaps it is because icons, ideals, brands, symbols, heroes and sometimes even “bad boys” capture our hearts, minds, and fervour – unlocking in us things that truly matter. When this happens, we are transformed in ways that are hard to understand, whether it’s Jim Brown, McDonalds, George Steinbrenner, Susan Boyle or LeBron James. There is no brand power without the emotional experience of the witness.

Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and his armies wanted to suppress or wipe out those seemingly insignificant first century followers of Jesus. Instead he found himself captivated, writing about the undaunted survival of tireless “Christians” – who, in the face of their own peril, cared for the sick and dying, even their own enemies, during the plagues – and about their enduring love for one another amid persecution. Ultimately he witnessed them do what centuries of military generals could not – overcome an empire, capturing the hearts and minds, creating more witnesses.

So never mind LeBron James and his former following. While a sports or music star can harness the power of our emotions, the brand created by Jesus and his first followers still can move mountains. It might lose its following for a while, but it can thrive again when it risks standing with the persecuted and oppressed, capturing the hearts, minds, and imaginations of the people. This is not a brand represented by a cool, detached, establishment religion, enjoying its veneer of respectability. The flame is carried by a visionary Church risking everything to win God’s power, unshackling life from fear, addiction, depression, environmental destruction and self-interest. With its miraculous feats, magical moments, and love, it can still light up the eyes of a child – even the child within.

We are all witnesses.

This article appeared in the September 2010 issue of Reform.

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