I watched NFL Network's post-game coverage of the recent Bears/Giants with someone who doesn't watch sports as often as I do.1 The show brought Brandon Marshall on set to talk about the game, his contributions, and whatever else they wanted. At one point, Marshall thanked God gifting him these abilities and opportunities for success. The person with whom I was watching retorted, "who does this guy think he is, Tim Tebow?"
The fact that this person does not watch as much as I do plays very heavily into the way I reacted to their remarks. At one point, it used to feel tacky, forced and unnecessary. Did these athletes really believe that Jesus was maneuvering them to the right positions to succeed in a game when he clearly has other, more important things to worry about?2
This isn't just a big-game phenomenon though either. It's commonplace to see a baseball player on a crummy team in a random July game cross himself after a base hit. Wide receivers are praising God as the cross the pylon at any point in the season. Three point specialists are kissing their fists and pointing to the ceiling after every made deep ball.
The more I watch, the less these statements faze me. It is my personal theology that God does not play an active, overt role in our lives, but functions instead in more of an unseen, ninja-like capacity.3 Who am I to say though what these athletes should or should not believe? I am lucky enough to have grown up in a well-off enough environment with two loving parents where I didn't ever have to worry about things like poverty and inner-city crime. The stories of athletes who basically come from the streets and play their talents into the kind of lifestyle many would kill for are a dime a dozen. Who are we to say that this is not, in fact, "God-given talent?"
Religion can play a powerful role in any person's life if they choose to allow for it to. If an atheist does not believe in the supernatural forces that many others do, that's fine.4 They are just choosing to live their lives differently. For those who accept it though, religion can provide comfort and direction. I obviously grew up in a very different environment with very different circumstances, but it is entirely within the realm of possibility that without their faiths many of these athletes would not have made it to the big stage. Without the guiding forces of their beliefs, they could easily have fallen victim to their difficult upbringings.
I try my best to never fault someone for their belief systems. The fact that I don't necessarily agree is irrelevant. If an athlete truly believed that Jesus gifted him with crazy agility and body talent, then so be it. We should be the ones thanking God that we can enjoy it.
1. Which is to say not at basically every minute of every day.↩
2. Although who knows, maybe Jesus would rather escape to sports over worrying about the really important stuff?↩
3. An eerily similar depiction can be seen in the "Godfellas" episode of Futurama.↩
4. Because I'm clearly the authority to whom people look when it comes to the affirmation of their theological beliefs.↩
1. Which is to say not at basically every minute of every day.↩
2. Although who knows, maybe Jesus would rather escape to sports over worrying about the really important stuff?↩
3. An eerily similar depiction can be seen in the "Godfellas" episode of Futurama.↩
4. Because I'm clearly the authority to whom people look when it comes to the affirmation of their theological beliefs.↩
I'm kind of shocked you went through this whole post without mentioning Brenda Fricker's monologue in "Angels in the Outfield:"
ReplyDelete(from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109127/quotes)
Maggie Nelson: My name is Maggie Nelson. I take care of foster kids. One of these boys is the child who can see angels. He could stand up right now and tell you what's going on and I'd know you'd just laugh at him. But, when a professional football player drops to one knee to thank God for making a touchdown, nobody laughs at that. Or when a pitcher crosses himself before going to the mound, no one laughs at that either. It's like your saying it's okay to believe in God, but it's not okay to believe in angels. Now, I thought that they were on the same team.
Hank Murphy: Is it your belief, ma'am, that angels play baseball?
Maggie Nelson: Since the all-star break, yes. We all need someone to believe in. Every child I have ever looked after has someone: an angel. You've got to have faith. You've got to believe. You have to look inside yourself. The footprints of an angel are love, and where there is love, miraculous things can happen. I've seen it.