{"id":5260,"date":"2016-10-20T23:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T23:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=5260"},"modified":"2017-10-28T21:46:33","modified_gmt":"2017-10-28T21:46:33","slug":"on-football-moses-and-rephidim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=5260","title":{"rendered":"On football, Moses and Rephidim…"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Moses at the\u00a0Battle of Rephidim<\/a>:\u00a0 \u201cIf I let my arms down, the other team will win!<\/strong>\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

It’s time to lighten up a bit. \u00a0Which is being interpreted<\/a>:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 “It’s time to take a break from the\u00a0election coming up<\/a>.” \u00a0That is, it’s time to talk about something really<\/em> important:<\/p>\n

Like football!!!<\/em><\/h1>\n

Which is another way of saying we’re halfway through October – Week 9 of the college season and Week 7\u00a0for the NFL – and have yet to talk about those 2016 seasons.<\/p>\n

And<\/em> to talk about practices that affect those seasons, like\u00a0sport superstitions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For an example of a former player’s<\/em> superstition: \u00a0Michael Jordan<\/a>\u00a0– who graduated from North Carolina – used to wear his blue North Carolina “shorts” under his Chicago Bulls uniform, for good luck. \u00a0Always.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I wrote about such superstitions in last year’s\u00a0Was Moses the first to say \u201cit\u2019s only weird if it doesn\u2019t work<\/a>?” \u00a0But that post focused on those superstitions which were practiced by sport-team\u00a0fans<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And this one will too…<\/p>\n

That is, if you’re a true<\/em> <\/strong>sports fan, you’ve probably gotten some weird looks. \u00a0That is, you’ve gotten some weird looks when you try to explain how one of your actions – or “non-actions,” usually during the game at issue – impacted the outcome<\/em> of that game.<\/p>\n

And you may even have been asked the direct question: \u00a0“Do you really think that what you did” – or didn’t<\/em> do – ” affected the outcome of that game?” \u00a0But now – after reading this post – you have a ready answer: \u00a0“Hey! \u00a0I’m just doing what Moses did, in the Bible!” \u00a0(Or you can say, “I’m just following in the footsteps of Moses,”<\/em> as illustrated in the painting at the top of the page.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s what happened. \u00a0(As told in\u00a0Exodus 17<\/a>, some 3,500 years ago.)<\/em><\/p>\n

The ancient\u00a0Children of Israel had just Crossed the Red Sea<\/a>, during the\u00a0Exodus<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>They emerged at Rephidim<\/a>, near Mount Sinai<\/a>. \u00a0(Where the\u00a0Water From the Rock<\/a>\u00a0happened.)<\/em><\/p>\n

That’s when\u00a0the dreaded Amalekites<\/a>\u00a0– who would become Israel’s archenemy – launched a sneak attack. \u00a0(Not unlike Pearl Harbor<\/a>, shown at left.) \u00a0<\/em>Verses 8 to 16 – in\u00a0Exodus 17<\/a>\u00a0– then tell the story of Israel pulling off \u00a0an \u201cupset of the season.\u201d \u00a0You might say they beat a hated arch-rival, thanks to Moses and his “superstition:”<\/p>\n

Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. <\/span>\u00a0Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Am\u2032alek prevailed<\/strong>. <\/span>\u00a0But Moses\u2019 hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; \u00a0so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which – it has been noted – sounds a lot like a modern-day football fan. \u00a0(Who – watching his team on TV – may move around the room, or change the way he stands, or sits. \u00a0Or<\/strong> – and I’ve done this myself – he may mute the sound on the TV, if that “brings the team good luck.”)<\/em><\/p>\n

But always – always – the goal is to “help your team win.” \u00a0(In the case of Moses, his \u201cteam\u201d started\u00a0winning <\/strong>when he held his arms up, but started\u00a0losing <\/strong>if he let his arms down.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Again, I wrote about this at length in last year’s Was Moses the first to say \u201cit\u2019s only weird if it doesn\u2019t work<\/a>?”\u00a0 \u00a0(Which included the photo of Notre Dame’s\u00a0<\/em>Touchdown Jesus<\/a>, at right.)<\/i><\/p>\n

For an update, see\u00a0Superstitious sports fans abound<\/a>, posted on October 20, 2016. \u00a0The article started with this question: \u00a0“Are you superstitious about your sports teams?” \u00a0Bill White<\/a>\u00a0then wrote of an incident several years ago, about “no turnovers so far:”<\/span><\/p>\n

At one point in the NFC Championship Game<\/a>, it occurred to me that there had been no fumbles or interceptions [in the game]. \u00a0I nearly blundered into mentioning this to my wife while the Eagles had the ball, a terrible jinx, but I caught myself…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He caught himself because his team – the Eagles – had the ball. \u00a0So instead he waited until the other<\/em><\/strong> team had the ball: \u00a0“‘No turnovers yet in this game,’ I mentioned casually.” \u00a0Sure enough, on the very next play the opposing team’s quarterback threw an interception.<\/p>\n

And who hasn’t seen that<\/span> happen?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

White joked at one point, “It’s a good thing I use the powers only for good, not evil.” \u00a0He added:<\/p>\n

I suppose there are readers who think superstition is stupid, and that the players alone determine the outcome… \u00a0 I thought some of you sports fans out there would\u00a0 be able to relate, and the rest of you can just make fun of us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-4574.jpg\"Or not. \u00a0Which is another way of saying that for all the grief we get – for our “idiosyncratic quirks” – we rabid sports fans do<\/em><\/strong> get some benefits. \u00a0See for example,\u00a0Why We\u2019re So Superstitious | Psychology Today<\/a>, which concluded with this proviso, limitation or quid-pro-quo<\/em>: \u00a0“The upshot of this research is that it\u2019s important to distinguish between the controllable and uncontrollable events in your life.” \u00a0On the other hand, there are<\/em> <\/strong>those benefits:<\/p>\n

Sports fans, for all the ribbing they take, do have some decidedly positive mental\u00a0health<\/a>\u00a0advantages over non-fans. \u00a0Evidence cited by [Kent State<\/a>\u00a0researcher Shana] Wilson and her co-workers supports the idea that fans who strongly identify with a team, particularly a local one, are less lonely, feel happier, and feel better about themselves<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the other hand, there are those people who “think superstition is stupid.” \u00a0And there are those people who say things like such fan superstitions are \u201cignorant, embarrassing, and frankly [make] me a little pessimistic about humanity.\u00a0 Do you really<\/i> think that wearing that unwashed jersey [or undershorts] will help your team win?\u201d \u00a0To which I will respond, hereinafter<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cHey pal, tell that to Moses!\u201d<\/em><\/h1>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of Rephidim \u2013 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a>.\u00a0 The caption:\u00a0 \u201cMoses<\/a>\u00a0holding up his arms during the Battle of Rephidim, assisted by Hur<\/a> and Aaron<\/a>, in John Everett Millais<\/a>\u00a0\u2018Victory O Lord!<\/a> (1871).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The “Touchdown Jesus” image is courtesy of\u00a0Gallery … University Of Notre Dame Touchdown Jesus<\/a>imgarcade.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0Sports Superstitions<\/a>. \u00a0Aside from the article in\u00a0<\/em>Fact Monster<\/a>, you can\u00a0Google<\/a>\u00a0the term\u00a0<\/em>“sports superstitions.” \u00a0I did that and got some 1,040,000 results. \u00a0And for an interesting treatment of the phenomenon, see\u00a0BBC – Future – Sporting superstitions: Why do we have them<\/a>?<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0\u201cProvisos, limitations and quid-pro-quos.\u201d \u00a0See\u00a0Quotes from Movie Aladdin :: Finest Quotes<\/a>. \u00a0The image of the Genie – with\u00a0Robin Williams<\/a>\u00a0using the voice and mannerisms of\u00a0William F. Buckley Jr.<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/em>is courtesy of\u00a0Image \u2013 Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-4574.jpg \u2013 Disney Wiki<\/a>disney.wikia.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0www.reddit.com\/r\/nfl\/comments\/3o00dy\/jeff_fisher<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0See also\u00a0www.packernation.com\/its-only-weird-if-it-doesnt-work-of-game-day-superstitions<\/a>. \u00a0That\u2019s where the quote came from: \u201cAthletes know it, fans know it, and even Bud Light knows it<\/a>\u2026.\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Moses at the\u00a0Battle of Rephidim:\u00a0 \u201cIf I let my arms down, the other team will win!\u201c * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * It’s time to lighten up a bit. \u00a0Which is being interpreted:\u00a0 “It’s time to take a break from the\u00a0election coming up.” \u00a0That is, it’s time to talk about something really important: Like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5260"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5260"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5304,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5260\/revisions\/5304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}