The image of professional athletes pointing to the heavens after a homerun or kneeling to pray before a kickoff is almost pedestrian.
Growing up, I never thought too much about these displays of reverence for God. In fact, I can’t remember a time when such idolatry in sports didn’t exist; it seems that professional athletes (and amateur athletes too) have been thanking God for their victories since day one.
But did God really play a part in that homerun? Is He really rooting for one team?
According to some, God really does have a plan for everything — even something as mundane as a homerun or a victory.
Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, after a loss eliminating the Red Sox’s chances at the World Series, said, “God has a plan. And it wasn’t God’s plan for us to be in the playoffs.”
As the American League Championship Series came to a close, the question of God’s hand in professional sports continues to emerge.
An Episcopalian church in Detroit recently led a special prayer asking God “for blessings for the Tigers that they may play to the best of their abilities and injury-free,” The Detroit Free Press reported.
Steven Kelly, a rector of the church, told Free Press that they were rooting for the Tigers because God “does tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves.”
However, the Bible also notes that God loves all of His children. That being said, why would God choose one team to overpower another?
It is true that God brought about victories for certain men throughout The Bible.
The book of Samuel in the Old Testament tells the story of Shammah who “took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.”
How is Shammah any different than the men and women of today’s professional sports? If God can side with Shammah, why can’t He side with the good men of the Diamondbacks? (I’m still bitter.)
The difference is that God was bringing about a greater victory in the story of Shammah, not something as simple as a lighthearted game of baseball.
Religious doctrines provide guidelines of how to act accordingly in all aspects of life, including sports. Philippians 2:3, for example, tells believers, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
This basic concept of sportsmanship is something that Christian athletes seem to overlook sometimes.
They are so caught up in praying for their own victory that they forget about their opponents, who are really just brothers and sisters.
Professional athletes should keep in mind the triviality of their sport in the greater scheme of the world, or for that matter, the universe. God has much more important things to attend to than guaranteeing you don’t strike out.
That doesn’t mean athletes can’t or shouldn’t pray to avoid injury or thank God for the opportunity to play sports professionally.
That’s OK — but it’s ill judged to think God is working purely for your personal benefit.
Reach the columnist at eeeaton@asu.edu. Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
