Is there a problem with playing for an audience of one?
#ao1
Scroll through any Christian sports players’ social media and you’ll likely see #AO1 in their posts.
It stands for ‘Audience of One’ and is a phrase that has been around for a few decades. It started in America with the organisation Athletes in Action saying:
“The intent of the phrase is to help Christian players remember that everywhere in life—even in a stadium full of people—“we live and move and have our being in Him,” and it’s His pleasure we should pursue above all else.”
They acknowledge that this is easier said than done but the goal still stands.
What’s helpful about the phrase ‘audience of one’?
Sportspeople so often judge our sporting ability and performance from the opinions of others. Of course, this is a part of competitive, professional sport. The coach has the right to tell you where you rank and the manager can choose whether to offer you a new contract or not based on your performance.
The danger comes when we let other people's opinions of us (our friends, our parents, our coaches), and even our own, form our sense of self-worth. This is where comments on social media can be crippling and it's why so many elite athletes choose not to look at any comments their followers post.
As we remember we play for an ‘audience of one’ we remember that it is only God’s opinion of us that matters - he alone saves us. For followers of Jesus, he has declared that your identity is that of a dearly loved child of God. That is who you are. Your identity is safe and secure if you are in Christ.
In this sense #ao1 is an incredibly helpful phase for the athlete to have in mind when they compete.
What’s potentially unhelpful about the phrase ‘audience of one’?
There is however a potential problem with the phrase and how using it as a mantra can affect our understanding of who God is and what he is doing in and through our sport.
The term ‘audience’ could imply God is watching from the stands. One of the problematic images sportspeople can have of God is to see him like a coach, deciding if their performance is good enough to bless.
God though is not in the stands as we play. He is in us, by his Spirit, like the air we breathe, enabling us every step of the way. God sustains us. God empowers us. God is with us, alongside us, in all the highs and lows of our sport. Incredibly the good news of the gospel is not that God stayed ‘up there’ but that he ‘came down’ to dwell amongst us and within us by his spirit.
So, whilst #ao1 can be a useful phrase to remember that all of our sport is to be played for God and God alone, it could potentially cause some confusion. Maybe it’s time to think of a new phrase, or an additional one, to help us remember the security of our identity in Christ and his presence with us in all the highs and lows of our sporting lives. All suggestions welcome!