Dealing With Our Own 'Deflate-Gates'

© 2014 The Wired Word

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It's been dubbed "Deflate-gate" -- "gate" being the common suffix used ever since the Watergate saga to indicate a scandal -- and it refers to the discovery during the NFL game on Sunday, January 18, that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the New England Patriots in their game against the Indianapolis Colts were under-inflated. The Patriots won that contest 45 to 7 and advanced to the Super Bowl.
The under-inflation matters because balls with less than the regulation 12.5 to 13.5 pounds of air per square inch (psi) would have been slightly easier for the Patriots' quarterback to hold and its receivers to catch, especially during the slick, rainy conditions of that particular game. The same advantage would not go to the opposing team because teams always use their own sets of footballs when they're on offense.
It's not been determined who deflated the balls or when it was done, but with 11 of the 12 being some 2 pounds psi low, most observers consider it unlikely that that condition happened without someone tampering with them -- the temperature variation from indoors to out has been calculated to result in less than a 1-psi change. As of this writing, the NFL investigation is focused on a Patriots locker room attendant.
The NFL reports that all 12 balls were properly inflated before the game when they were tested by game officials. They were then placed in a zipped bag by the sidelines. From time to time during play, ball boys hand fresh balls from the bag to officials, who put them into play.
It's not certain who told the Colts about the under-inflated balls, though Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that the Baltimore Ravens, who previously played against the Patriots, tipped off the Colts about the possibility of such an occurrence. In any case, officials checked the Patriot balls at half-time and found all but one low on air. They were then re-inflated to the mandated level and stayed that way throughout the second half of the game.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft insists his team did nothing wrong and says he wants an apology from the NFL if it cannot be determined that his team tampered with the footballs.
Sports commentators say that with the way this particular game went -- with the Patriots winning by such a wide margin -- the under-inflated balls made little, if any, difference in the outcome. For one thing, the Patriots scored mostly by running the ball, a tactic where an under-inflated ball would make little difference. For another, in the second half, when the balls were at full psi, the Patriots still outscored the Colts by 28 points.
People concerned about the under-inflated balls, however, point beyond this specific game to the fact that the Patriots have a history of stretching limits of what the rules allow and that on one occasion, the Patriots' coach was caught illegally filming an opposing coaching staff to learn their hand signals. Also, in a close game, experts say, under-inflated balls could tip the balance in the Patriots' favor.
Former NFL referee Brian Taylor, now a pastor and member of the TWW team, is reluctant to apply the word "cheating" to Deflate-gate. He says he has seen the level of competition and the "edges" athletes try to get, and he compares the under-inflated ball violation to drivers who travel at 65 mph in a 55 mph zone in an effort to get home in time for dinner. But TWW team member Mack Crumpler counters, "How we got to the point where we either break the law and speed just a little, or be late and miss dinner with the family is another story. But suddenly, there we are; what to do? We don't really want to do either one, but one will be done."
Leigh Steinberg, writing about this incident in Forbes, commented, "All of the NFL's overwhelming dominance and revenue flow depends on the public's trust that the outcome of games is determined on a level playing field." He also said, "It is hard to argue that deflated balls made the difference in a 45-7 rout, but what about the prior playoff game with Baltimore, won by 4 points?"
When the TWW began considering this news story, a team member shared the following: "This story hits really close to home. The longtime secretary of the church where I used to serve on staff was arrested last week, charged with embezzling thousands from the church. Everyone there is just crushed. I, too, am absolutely heart-broken because I always considered this woman a saint. And, truly, I think she was. And I still love her. She was (and for all I know, still is) a fervent Christian."
The team member continued, "I just can't make sense of how this came about. I hope it had something to do with her feeling some sort of desperate need on behalf of a family member, medical issue or such, but, sadly, that's not entirely the picture I'm getting from at least one friend there. I am more sad than mad. I feel that something in her life just 'broke' somehow, and a temptation she normally would have been able to resist was not resistible at that given time, and one bad step led to another and another, and she likely felt she just couldn't come up for air from it all. To me, it points out how broken we all are, and how easily any one of us can falter. I don't feel self-righteous in regard to her circumstances; more, my heart just goes out to her in some odd way."
More on the Deflate-gate story can be found at these links:
The New England Patriots' Deflated Footballs Scandal, Explained. Vox
What Is the 'Deflategate' Controversy? Boston Globe
10 Things to Know About Deflate-Gate. Forbes 
Patriots Owner Wants Apology Over 'Deflate-Gate.' CBS News
The Big Questions
1. What internal arguments do we Christians sometimes use to give ourselves permission to do something that is not acceptable according to our faith and moral code (and is sometimes even illegal)? Why do we allow ourselves such exceptions? When it comes to the Scriptures, how do we decide which laws, commands or commandments we are going to keep and which we might "fudge" a little?
2. How should we as Christians navigate in a society where some things that are not really right are not illegal? How should we determine the difference?
3. Is there danger to our souls in crossing "little" lines, such as accepting too much change back from a restaurant or taking office supplies home from our workplace? If so, what is the danger? If not, why not? Does the term "a slippery slope" apply to such cases? If so, how? When is being only good enough good enough?
4. What theology addresses the human tendency to rationalize exceptions to our faith values and moral code? In the church, how should we respond to someone who has been discovered to be engaged in a serious sin? What remedies does the Bible offer?
5. What sort of accountability systems (such as church small groups, Christian friends in whom you confide, etc.) do you actively include in your life to "save yourself from yourself" and maintain your personal relationship with Christ? Whom do you trust to help you make these decisions?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 3:2-6
The woman said to the serpent, ... "God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So ... the woman ... took of its fruit and ate ... (For context, read 3:1-15.)
This account describes the tempting of Eve in terms of an external dialog between her and the serpent, but of course, that mirrors the sort of internal conversation we have with ourselves when we're toying with the idea of doing something that is against the standards of righteousness to which we have committed ourselves. In Eve's case, the serpent actually lied to her, telling her she would not die and that God was withholding something good from her for selfish reasons. We too sometimes deceive ourselves when looking for a justification to do something we want to do but know we shouldn't.
Sometimes small sins seem harder to resist than big ones, especially when the small wrongdoing is acceptable to many. Perhaps that's what it was like for Eve in the garden with the serpent -- nothing really bad was going to happen at that moment for a little infraction, so she went ahead and did it.
Questions: What helps you recognize your justifications and rationalizations as the "serpent" in the garden of your life? What causes you to sometimes view the serpent as the voice of reason? Is it possible to differentiate the voice of the serpent from the voice of wisdom before you make your choice? How do you do so?
Matthew 4:3-4
The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (For context, read 4:1-11.)
Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. (For context, read 4:14-16.)
There are similarities between the temptations of Jesus and the tempting of Eve (see Genesis 3:2-6 above). In both cases, the story is framed as an external dialog, but in both cases, the temptations themselves were experienced inwardly, just as our temptations are.
What is different between them, of course, is that unlike Eve, Jesus confronted the temptations and did not surrender to them. He recognized that the tempter was no angel of light, responded with Scripture and remained true to his mission.
Questions: In what ways, if any, does it help you know that as Hebrews 4:15 above indicates, Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses because he too was tempted, "as we are"? Does it help to know that Jesus our high priest faced temptation "without sin"? Note that the tempter quotes scripture to back up his temptation. Is there a scripture that once led you to act one way which you now reject?
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse -- who can understand it? (For context, read 17:5-9.)
In Scripture as in other places, the heart is used metaphorically to mean our spiritual, emotional, moral and intellectual core. And here is Jeremiah telling us that that core of our being is devious and perverse. Or, as the King James Version words it, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ...."
The underlying Hebrew word for "devious" derives from the same root as does the name "Jacob," who was an occasionally devious character in the Old Testament. He cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright by deceiving their elderly, blind father into believing he was his brother. "Perverse" means "directed away from what is right or good" and "obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn."
Jeremiah would probably say that working to know ourselves is fine -- as long as we don't forget perversity. Our hearts have a tendency to turn away from what is right or good, sometimes even to nudge us toward a path that we know for certain leads to trouble.
Questions: Have you ever done something you knew was wrong even as you did it and then asked, "Why did I do that?" How did you answer yourself? How might Jeremiah answer you? What is the remedy?
Respond to this, from the TWW team member's comments in the "In the News" section above about the secretary who embezzled from her former church: "I feel that something in her life just 'broke' somehow, and a temptation she normally would have been able to resist was not resistible at that given time, and one bad step led to another and another, and she likely felt she just couldn't come up for air from it all. To me, it points out how broken we all are, and how easily any one of us can falter."
Jeremiah no doubt saw many people in the society committing the same sins. How easy is it to embrace the argument "Everyone else is doing it" as a justification for cutting corners?
1 Timothy 6:9
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (For context, read 6:6-10.)
James 1:14-15
But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. (For context read 1:12-16.)
We cite these two passages together because they both reference a significant source of temptation: one's own desire. In the case of the 1 Timothy verse, a specific desire -- wanting to be rich -- is singled out whereas in the James passage the topic is desire in general.
Desire opens the matter of the proverbial "slippery slope," where a small yielding to something we desire but which is not right sometimes leads to bigger yieldings. In fact, desire might be said to be the grease on the slope!
Questions: What weight do you assign your own desire? In your heart of hearts, do you consider your wants more weighty than God's commands? How can you tell? How do you avoid slippery slopes? How do you get back once you've slipped down one?
How should we respond (as individuals or as a church) when we see a member who seems to be on "a slippery slope" of almost imperceptible infractions of God's law? Do we wait until someone is engaged in serious sin before we say something?
For Further Discussion
1. Comment on this, from TWW team member Mack Crumpler: "I think of [the story of] the frog in the water in the pot on the stove. It's the gradual change he doesn't respond to; in fact, as the water warms a little, he thinks to himself, 'Ah, this is nice.' Before he realizes it, he's passed out and [is] in trouble. If we give ourselves permission to deviate just a little for whatever valid reason we rationalize, it gets progressively easier, and soon, it's a long way back. We don't yet know who the guilty party is at the Patriots, but one wonders if it started a while ago with one football."
2. Respond to this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "I'm reminded of what C.S. Lewis says in The Screwtape Letters, how the road to hell has gentle curves, with no obvious landmarks or road signs. Or the moment in Lewis' book That Hideous Strength where Michael first does something he knows is definitely wrong, but it is not a big moment, not dramatic at all. That's the whole thing about Ponzi schemes. According to a study I read about in The New Yorker, it begins with trying to cover up a shortfall instead of being honest about it, and the crime gets bigger and bigger."
3. Discuss this, from TWW team member Mary Sells: "[Consider] the insidious nature of cheating -- we experience it so often that we lose our sense of right and wrong. ... We also have big money in attorneys and lobbyists making black/white, right/wrong issues into gray ones so we are losing sight of the truth. Just because some things are legal doesn't mean they are right (Charlie Hebdo satirical cartoons? Big biz buying Congress with campaign donations? etc.). Where and from whom is the old saying that 'your character is what you do when nobody is looking'?"
4. Team member Charles Alkula points us to what are sometimes called the "Four Cardinal Virtues." According to Wikipedia, the cardinal virtues are those recognized in the writings of Classical Antiquity and, along with the theological virtues, also in Christian tradition. They consist of:
  •Prudence: also described as wisdom, the ability to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time.
  •Justice: also considered as fairness, the most extensive and most important virtue.
  •Temperance: also known as restraint, the practice of self-control, abstention and moderation tempering the appetite.
  •Courage: also named fortitude, forbearance, strength, endurance and the ability to confront fear, uncertainty and intimidation.
How do these four relate to today's topic?
Responding to the News
This is a good time to pray not only for ourselves, but for those we love, that we may be able to resist the small temptations that come our way so we do not slip into bigger ones.
Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
You know the temptations that I am facing today. Your Word promises that I will not be tempted beyond what I can bear. I ask for your strength to stand up under the temptation whenever I encounter it. Your Word also tells me you will provide a way out of the temptation. Please, Lord, give me the wisdom to walk away when I am tempted, and the clarity to see the way out that you will provide. Thank you, God, that you are a faithful deliverer and that I can count on your help in my time of need. Amen. (By Mary Fairchild, "Dealing With Temptation")