NFL players pray before a big game.

ATHLETES & FANS DO RELIGION A DISSERVICE
BY INVOKING DIVINE HELP TO INFLUENCE
THE OUTCOME OF SPORTING EVENTS

DESPITE THE MONEY, HYPE AND FANFARE,
SPORTS IS SIMPLY ENTERTAINMENT
 
By David Maril
 
While you were watching the Denver Broncos upset the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, you witnessed many things.

There was the halftime extravaganza; fumbles, pass receptions; quarterback sacks; penalty flags; first downs; timeouts; and plenty of overproduced lavish television commercials, often overshadowing the game.

But that’s not all.

If you looked very closely, you’d have noticed religious gestures by some football players and fans.

A decade or so ago, it became more common for athletes to point fingers skyward, giving thanks to God after making a big play, coming through in the clutch.

Granted, the network television cameras are not focusing on these practices as much as they used to: The cameras now cut away a lot quicker from dwelling on players’ reactions after key plays.

This is probably a good thing. Who needs to watch some of the juvenile, classless dancing around and celebrating that makes sportsmanship seem an endangered practice?

For years now, in interviews, certain players insist on crediting their religious devotion for their success, before even answering any questions.

 Sammy Sosa thanks “the man upstairs” after hitting a game-winning home run.

Some will recite a prayer, taking advantage of a captive national television audience to preach their religious beliefs.

In the past, some athletes have printed religious messages on their uniforms and equipment.

For years, many baseball players have made religious gestures before stepping into the batter’s box.

Years back, when he was slamming homers at a record pace, the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa turned finger-pointing-to-the-sky into an art form before every first at-bat of each game, and following home runs.

This religious fervor began spreading into the stands.

During tension-packed Championship Baseball Series games, the television network cameras began spotlighting fans praying for a big hit or key out in crucial stages of tight games.

Religion is a part of sports at most levels. Go to any high school football or basketball game and you’ll catch most teams huddling for a quick prayer or moment of reflection before charging onto the court or field.

Many coaches will ask for God’s help before allowing the team to begin the competition.

I knew a public high school baseball coach in Massachusetts who used to get a friend of his who was a priest to sit on the team bench whenever they played a Catholic private school in playoff tournaments.

But maybe the connection between religion and success on the field is diminishing a bit?

In his first post-game interview after the Super Bowl, winning quarterback Peyton Manning relegated “thanking the man upstairs” behind kissing his wife, hugging his family and drinking a lot of a particular brand of beer.

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow kneels in prayer at football game, a practice by some athletes that has come to be known colloquially as Tebowing.

The ultimate commercial pitchman, who is paid to sing continually about an insurance company that is always on his side, owns stock in that beer company.

But that’s another issue for some other day.

Getting back to religion and sports, I would question whether God, or any other supreme being or force you believe in, actually cares which team wins a game or how well or poorly a particular athlete does.

Aren’t there more significant issues in the universe than whether Peyton Manning completes a touchdown pass or Nelson Cruz slams a tape-measure home run?

With our country at war against international terrorism, and a world full of poverty-stricken people, should a supreme being be called upon to help one’s favorite team snap a losing streak?

This is not a knock against religion. If anything, it’s a defense of religion against people attempting to use their spiritual faith for selfish and trivial purposes.

Does any fan or athlete actually believe divine intervention is going to impact what happens in a sports event?

Do athletes consider themselves important enough to be justified in asking for spiritual help in a game?

It’s understandable when a surgeon, going into a serious operation, wants to say a few prayers.

And it certainly makes sense for troops on a dangerous military mission to ask for spiritual guidance.

Attempting to use religious faith to help others, especially those in need, is certainly an admirable trait. But in the end, it seems almost sacrilegious when coaches, athletes and fans at any level call on God for help in games.

If you really have genuine faith and are a religious believer, don’t waste your prayers on events like the Super Bowl.

    Praise The Lord and pass the football:  Penn State pre-game prayer circle.

davidmaril@voiceofbaltimore.org
 
EDITOR’S NOTE:  Tebowing is a neologism for the act of kneeling on one knee in prayer, specifically with one’s head bowed and an arm resting on the bent knee. It is a form of genuflecting derived from NFL quarterback Tim Tebow’s propensity for kneeling and praying on the field at football games. (Ref: Wikipedia)
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
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