God, Group Chats, and the Silence of the Offseason

There’s a sacred place where I gather daily to worship, roast, question lineups, send memes, talk trash, and somehow still never talk about their actual feelings.

It’s not church.

It’s not therapy.

It’s the group chat.

And lately? Mine’s been somewhat quiet.

With the NBA on break, NFL still a rumor, not smart enough for baseball, and even my soccer boys taking some time off — there’s been a strange silence in the chat. Not as many, “did you see that?” No trade takes. No debates about who’s washed and who’s clutch. Just… tumbleweeds. And in that quiet, I started thinking — probably too much — about what this whole sports obsession means.

I love sports. Love ‘em.

But I realized something kind of wild the other day.

When there’s no ball bouncing, no games on, no playoff scenarios to argue about, I feel a little bit disconnected — not just from the game, but from my friends. From the homies. From the guys I’d normally text 12 times a day over a missed free throw.

And that isn’t right.

Why does it take a bunch of grown men dribbling a ball to make me talk to my own people?

The Group Chat Is Our Church

We treat the chat like it’s sacred.

We tithe memes. We pass the offering plate of hot takes. I’m the king of hot takes. Through some controversy, then step back. We show up like clockwork when our team plays.

But here’s the thing — when the season ends, the connection often ends too.

And that’s backwards, right?

I shouldn’t need my BYU Cougars or Arsenal or the USMNT to remind me to check in on my guy who’s been a little quiet lately. I shouldn’t need NBA trade rumors to connect with a friend I haven’t seen since spring.

We use sports as a doorway, but sometimes we forget to walk through it.

Connection shouldn’t need a season.

“The opposite of addiction is connection.”

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Who Are You Without the Noise?

I think the silence is teaching me something.

Without the sports noise, without the group chat going off every night, I’m left with a question:

Do I even know how to check in on people when I’m not using LeBron or Messi as an excuse?

It’s easier to debate legacy than it is to ask, “Hey bro, you good?”

It’s easier to send a meme than it is to say, “I’ve been thinking about you.”

But here’s the truth:

We talk a lot about self-improvement. About growth. About being better men. But that starts with how we show up when the game’s off. When it’s just real life. When there’s no halftime report, no final buzzer, no highlight reel.

This Week, Call the Guy — No Box Score Needed

So here’s my ask.

Not homework. Just a challenge.

Text someone in your group chat right now. But don’t say “Did you see the trade?”

Say, “Hey man, what’s new?”

Or “Wanna grab lunch?”

Or straight up, “I miss chopping it up with you.”

Let the connection be the reason. Not the game.

Sports are dope. Sports are fun. But if the only thing we ever connect over is someone else’s highlight, we’re missing out on building something way more powerful.

“What you do for yourself dies with you. What you do for others lives forever.” — Ken Robinson