The issues of religion and sports have become more and more entangled over the past few decades. Athletes from different countries and origins, although mostly Christians, have revealed not only their beliefs in God but to a certain extent have used their time in the spotlight to proselytize for their own faiths. In principle, this not a major problem for sports - athletes have all the right of this world to talk and demonstrate their beliefs. Occasionally, however, these displays can be troublesome, for reasons that rank from philosophical to behavioral.
Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch get in on "tebowing" after sacking Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. (Photo credit: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
The more obvious and visible the gesture, the bigger the nuisance. Think, for example, of athletes pointing fingers to the heavens, unveiling t-shirts with religious messages, and more recently kneeling (or better, ‘Tebowing’) before or after games. Why do these athletes need to thank God so visibly? Why wear “I belong to Jesus” shirts? These are questions that very few, apart from all-out atheists with an agenda, seem to pose. The truth is that anyone watching sports, especially those who believe in God, should be the ones asking.
When athletes celebrate by pointing up to the sky and thanking God, they are really thanking God not for getting behind them but for making them so awesome. It is all about self-serving individualism - a narcissistic need to show the world that they have to be looked at and admired. When athletes wear “I belong to Jesus” t-shirts, it is difficult to believe, if one makes a critical reading of the action, that they are actually praising Jesus Christ in any way. The first word says it all: “I.” It is all about them, not about Jesus. It is about letting the world know about something they consider to be special about themselves. It goes like this: I belong to Jesus, and since I am so awesome, you should take notice.
The Bible is full of passages that preach spirituality and closeness to God, and particularly the New Testament has quite a few that instruct believers to be humble and reserved. Matthew 6:3, for example, orders “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”. More to the point is Matthew 6:5, an even stronger passage: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.”
Beyond not being consequent with their beliefs and the core teachings of their religions, there are other reasons that are just as troublesome. Giving thanks to and seeking support from God does not make sense unless, as Philosophy professor Michael LaBossiere recently pointed out, one is “doing a marathon against demons or on the field against a team of devils.” The logic behind this self-centered narcissism –I’m better than you, thus I will beat you, because God will support me and because I deserve to win more than you - is not much different from the idea of pointing to the heavens or wearing “I belong to Jesus” shirts.
Robinho celebrates scoring the opening goal of Brazil's 2010 World Cup quarterfinal meeting with the Netherlands. The Netherlands would go on to win 2-1. (Photo credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Ultimately, good Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc., should rather focus in preaching by example. Unfortunately, they don’t always do so. Many of us still have a very fresh memory of the quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands in the last World Cup. Brazilian players made a point of praying before the game and when Robinho nicked a goal early on, he was quick to signal to the skies. After all, God had just demonstrated, once more, what an amazing player he was.
In the second half however, things took an ugly turn for the Brazilians. In front of their eyes God deserted them. The Dutch first scored an unlikely goal from a free kick and then a second from a well-taken corner. The reaction of the awesome and God-loving Brazilians, including Robinho, was to start kicking the Dutch in the most unprofessional - and a not very Christian - manner. Similar examples abound.
Public demonstrations of faith should not be banned, as apparently FIFA attempted to do with that same Brazilian team after the World Cup. However, those athletes who decide to point out to the world that their awesomeness is a result of their belief in their given God should at least be consequent and follow through with an exemplary behavior on and off the pitch.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tied his 2011 performance to charitable contributions to orphans in Zambia, to whom he devotes time during baseball's offseason. (Photo credit: Harry How/Getty Images)
I cannot recall Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw pointing to the heavens or wearing proselytizing t-shirts. Kershaw is probably the most spectacular pitcher in the Major Leagues right now: Winner of the National League Cy Young Award this year and of a Gold Glove to go along with it. Kershaw is a fervent Methodist Christian who attends Church on a regular basis, and who in his offseason normally heads for Zambia where he is building an orphanage while teaching kids to play baseball.
That is not to say that Kershaw does not mix religion with sports. In order to build the orphanage he pledged $100 per strike out in 2011. Since he was the National League strikeout champion with 248 in the regular season, his contribution to change the lives of Zambian orphans rapidly climbed well into five digits. He also topped up the collection with more money from his own pocket. From his experiences in Africa he has also co-written a moving book entitled “Arise” where he talks about the role of religion in his life, as well as his own personal journey from the Major Leagues to Zambia.
Kershaw is the kind of person who believes both in God and in making a difference in this world. We could do with more athletes like him and less with those who use God to remind us, as often as they can, how awesome they are.
