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 Episode
Reviewed:
The Holy Hoopster
(721)
Writer: Marshal
Younger
Director: Paul McCusker
Sound Designer:
Rob Jorgensen
Music: John Campbell
Theme: Living out faith
Scripture: Colossians 3:17
Original
Airdate: 11/17/12
Review Written by:
Ben Warren, Staff Writer
Rating (out of 5):
 
Episode
Summary
Ryan Cummings
makes a series of seemingly miraculous
last-second shots for his basketball team which
makes him a celebrity - both for the hoops and
for acknowledging Jesus.
The Review
 According to the new-and-improved Official Guide,
The Holy Hoopster was
written to address the craze surrounding football player Tim Tebow.
During the past couple of years, he had received a lot of attention with
his statements about his Christian faith and his habit of kneeling in
prayer on the football field.
I find it interesting how Christians are usually the first to
criticize celebrity worship until a Christian starts attracting some
attention. But why do we love Christian celebrities so much? Is it
because we secretly hope their God-given abilities prove to unbelievers
that He exists? Is it because Christians are so often ridiculed in the
media that it's nice to finally see someone with talent getting some
respect? Or is it because we're tired of watching talented players
behave like jerks that it's nice to finally see someone with talent
living by their faith?
The Holy Hoopster
doesn't come out and tell us about the danger of being overly-fascinated
with Christian celebrities. It does, however, try try to answer the
question: what does God have to do with sports? In one scene, Jay Smouse
and Olivia Parker wrestle through a lot of the questions that I have
myself: "Do you think Jesus is really shooting that ball for Ryan?".
Olivia replies, "Maybe he is". Ambiguity is intended here. Did Ryan
actually make that game-winning shot because of God? Maybe that's not
the question we should be asking.
Instead, this episode makes a middle school high school basketball game
into a microcosm of what occurs in professional sports world. Ryan
represents the Christian athlete who mentions―quite
casually―how he prays to God before the
game, Jay―quite ingeniously―represents
the media that twists and turns a simple statement and makes it into
something more, Camilla and Nelson channel misguided Christians who get
caught up in the hype, while Brad represents skeptics who would prefer
it if Ryan just kept quiet. It depicts the situation from all possible
angles and allows us to choose who to relate to.
In the end, what the episode makes clear is that regardless of whether
you kneel on the field, or paint John 3:16 on your face, or talk about
God in post-game interviews, what really matters is how you behave on
the field. That's what God has to do with sports. He becomes part
of the game, hopefully, when we've become part of the game. Similarly,
in a very sweet scene, Ryan tells Camilla:
"Prayer isn't about working or not working. Or
winning or losing. Prayer is about a relationship with Jesus. That's
what's important [...] Praying is up to us, but what happens after
we pray is up to him. All I can do is the best I can do. I hope to
play well and whether I win or lose, I hope I'm a good witness for
him."
Perhaps that's one of the reasons I jumped on the
bandwagon when Jeremy Lin joined the New York Knicks. At first, I
watched him because of his skill as a basketball player, but then I
noticed that his faith clearly came out on the court, too. He gave
players who wouldn't normally be big scorers a chance to make shots. He
encouraged team-work, and had a positive attitude before and after
games. Showing God's influence in your attitude on the court, rather
than claiming whether he was responsible for your amazing game, is the
best way of expressing his power to others.
The Holy Hoopster
marked the most number of children in an episode since
The Malted
Milkball Falcon. These kids interact with each
other so well that I'm certainly not looking over forward to when the
new tide of kids come arrive. The scenes between Olivia and Jay, Camilla
and Ryan, Brad and Nelson, made them feel like such a natural and
tightly knit group.
I also appreciated the reference made to Lightning Livingston even
though I somewhat hoped that he'd make an appearance by the end of the
episode. The episode
Heroes
has always been one of my favorites, and I thought a quick word from
Lightning Livingston on the issue of the hero worship would have been a
nice touch. That said, both
Heroes
and The Holy Hoopster
compliment one another nicely―it's a good
episode to check out if you're wanting to delve more into the dangers of
celebrity worship.
The Holy Hoopster was
written by Marshall Younger,
who's best known for writing great sports-related episodes, such as
The Owlnapping,
The Fundamentals
and
Target of the Week.
With time, I think The
Holy Hoopster will be regarded as on the same level as those great
sports-related episodes. Although it may not answer all of our questions
on the subject of prayer in sports, its terrific ensemble cast and
all-encompassing story help to make this episode a solid conversation
starter.
Rating
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