Gaining the World While Losing Your Soul

On Saturday, December 26, 2009, Urban Meyer sent shock waves through the college sports world by communicating that he was resigning as the head coach of the University of Florida football team. The following day during a press conference at the Sugar Bowl, Meyer announced that he was actually going to take an indefinite leave of absence, but still remain the head coach. He stated his personal health was the main reason he was taking some time off from coaching. He also mentioned he wanted to reprioritize his life with faith and family being the main focus.

Immediately, sports commentators and writers began to talk about the stress and pressure that major college football coaches experience in their job. According to their reporting, Meyer is the type of coach who keeps the candle burning at both ends while building the Gator football program into a national powerhouse. This lifestyle was literally deteriorating his health to the point that he was experiencing frequent and severe chest pains. His doctors informed him that if he did not change his daily routine, it could be fatal.

What made this story so shocking was the fact that Urban Meyer has been the most successful college football coach in the 21st century. You would think that if anybody should be enjoying their job, and the benefits of success, it would be him. Is he gaining the world while losing his soul?

I spent almost ten years as a strength and conditioning coach for the Florida State Seminoles. I had the opportunity during this time to witness firsthand the amount of time coaches dedicate to their profession. Although it didn’t seem possible at the time, there are even greater expectations for coaches to produce championship teams today as coaching contracts and bowl payouts have reached the millions.

Recently, I watched a documentary on ESPN called “The U”. It was a story about the success of the Miami Hurricane football program during the 1980’s and early 1990’s. The Hurricane football teams during this time were known for their talent, swagger and unsportsmanlike conduct. In fact, their conduct on the field became so disgraceful, the NCAA had to implement new rules and policies to deal with their flagrant violations. Most, if not all, of the Hurricane’s players and coaches didn’t care about how they behaved on the field as long as they were winning. Were they gaining the world while losing their soul?

After watching this documentary and pondering Coach Meyer’s announcement, I opened my Bible and read the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:26. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus asked Peter these questions: What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

I admire Coach Meyer for pondering these questions, and trying to get his priorities right. Hopefully, he will be able to do this during his indefinite leave of absence from coaching.

Stay tuned for part 2 of "Gaining the World While Losing Your Soul".