Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

A Call for Separation of Church and Sports

Football players leave much to be desired as Christian role models

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 22, 2010 12:23 PM CST

(Newser) – Christian evangelicals must be pretty amped up by the high profile of their religion in professional sports, David Gibson writes, but the "cozy coupling" of church and sport has its dark side. First, there’s what commentator Shirl James Hoffman recently called the “cheap grace” of athletic faith. Take the Saints’ locker room talk of their Super Bowl win being God's plan: Didn’t they stop to think He was more concerned with earthquake-ravaged Haiti than their “gridiron performance?”

Some say Christianity can only improve the modesty of athletes—hey, in the same game, Matt Stover gave grace to God after he missed a field goal—but critics see the relationship poisoning the church. Sports, professional or otherwise, “are so rife with scandal and perfidy that projecting them as models of the Christian life is galling” to Hoffman, Gibson writes on Politics Daily. “Already youth sports are invading Sunday mornings as relentlessly as kudzu, often with the collusion of Christian parents who prefer to watch their kids compete.”

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna (3) leading others in prayer following an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Sports Illustrated described this religio-athletic amalgam as "Sportianity," which Hoffman defines as " a mix of locker-room psychology and athletically slanted doctrines of assertiveness and masculinity, abetted by cherry-picked Bible verses. - David Gibson

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

22%

51%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

US Youth May Yet Return to Religion, Despite the Right

The religious right has driven young people away, but a change in tone could lure them back: Putnam

(NEWSER) - Young Americans would likely become more religious if faith were disentangled from the polarizing practices of evangelical conservatives, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post. That’s a good thing, because research for an upcoming book found that religious Americans give more time and money—to secular and religious causes alike. The content of faith matters little: The benefits of religion come from joining a loving community. More»

NFL Defenses Tuning In This Season

Radio hookup aims to keep foes (ie, Patriots) from stealing signals

(NEWSER) - NFL defenders are hearing voices in their heads—often the screams of their coaches. An off-season rule change allows select defensive players to use the same helmet communication devices quarterbacks have long been using, USA Today reports. While kinks are being ironed out, the system means incidents like the Patriots’ stealing of opponents’ hand signals will be a thing of football past. More»

Tim Tebow's Stats Match Biblical Verse

And so did the fourth-quarter television ratings

(NEWSER) - This might just be a weird coincidence, or Tim Tebow's dramatic defeat of the Steelers last night may have been a miracle in more ways than one. The polarizing Denver quarterback wound up throwing for 316 yards, which, if you toss in a colon in the right spot, mirrors the call number of a famous bible verse, John 3:16. That's a verse Tebow occasionally wrote on his face while playing at the University of Florida, Fox News reports. More»

Pats Sink Bills 49-21, Clinch Top AFC Seed

Patriots top Bills, Saints crush Panthers, 49ers thump Rams

(NEWSER) - The New England Patriots overcame a 21-point deficit today with 49 unanswered points to rock the Buffalo Bills 49-21, the AP reports. The win earned the Pats home-field advantage and the AFC's top seed. Tom Brady threw for 338 yards and finished with the second-most passing yards in NFL history, 5,235—behind only Drew Brees, who threw for 5,486 this year with the New Orleans Saints. More»

Former Players Sue NFL Over Brain Injuries

Three ex-athletes want league to monitor all ex-players

(NEWSER) - Three retired football players are suing the NFL because they say they got banged up so much in their playing days it left them with brain injuries. They want the league to set up a program to monitor the problem among all former players, reports Bloomberg . The three former athletes—Harry Jacobs, Jerome Barkum, and Tommy Mason—each suffer from brain injuries caused by frequent tackles during their careers, according to the federal lawsuit. They're also seeking unspecified personal-injury compensation. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

A Call for Separation of Church and Sports