Sports and religion has been intertwined since the first ball was thrown. And it’s always been a comfortable relationship, from the John 3:16 signs often hung at stadiums to the athlete kneeling in prayer after a score.
We’re used to it. But I don’t think we completely understand what draws ordinary athletes to religion.
Last week, I discussed Tim Tebow with some local fans and wrote about him in the blog. I’m not sure where he is going, either as a quarterback or a man of faith. What makes Tebow interesting is the latter aspect of his personality is far stronger than the former.
This puts him in the company of Cassius Clay, who became Muhammad Ali when he found Islam, and Sandy Koufax, who refused to pitch game one of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day.
But what about the ordinary athlete who feels compelled to thank God in post-game interviews after a great game? Or the athlete seen pointing skyward after a great play?
It is that relationship between religion and athlete that I find interesting. Especially when you consider the work of Eric A. Storch, who studied the psychotherapy with religious athletes.
Storch, associate professor of clinical psychology in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of South Florida, suggests that athletes turn to religion as an explanation for the origin of their extraordinary gifts.
Storch makes an interesting argument given the pressure to perform that is placed on many athletes by fans, coaches, media and their teammates. It is seemingly a hyperdriven world that promotes a sense of invincibility within the athlete.
At some point, however, I would imagine the athlete comes down from that high. Maybe he or she wonders why they are on the receiving end of such nonstop adulation from all corners.
“Religion may provide answers to such existential questions through passages in scripture that reflect compassion, personal dialogue with a Supreme Being and/or emotional support associated with participation in religious activities,” Storch writes.
Major League Baseball player Lance Berkman agreed. “Faith helps me not get caught up in the hype of being a local celebrity,” he once said. “Some get a feeling of elevated importance.”
What do you think about the connection between sports and religion? Is religion more prevalent in the sports world, or does it just seem that way?
