After organized worship, athletic competition is perhaps the oldest communal impulse known to mankind; today, sports and religion mirror each other as never before, experts say. That correlation has negative as well as positive aspects.
Experts say the symbiosis between religion and sports shows how deeply religion is embedded in American culture, and vice versa. Sportsplexes are used as worship centers, and pro athletes’ testimonies may be the most widely seen expressions of faith in the public square.
Not every intersection of sports and religion is without contention, however. Some dislike the proliferation of prayers at school sporting events while others resent the intrusion of children’s weekend sports schedules into worship time.
In addition, religious leaders and the general public are wondering whether the intimate connections between religion and sports are such a good thing. Drug scandals, violence on the playing field and in the stands, recruiting violations and ethical lapses are clouding sports at every level from the pros to college to kids’ leagues.
Money seems to be the ultimate goal, and good sportsmanship often seems to be a thing of the past for fans, as well as athletes—and sometimes parents and coaches. Although religious traditions often praise athletes for their displays of skill and virtue, sports in the modern context often denotes a winner-take-all competitive mentality that is anathema to many religious teachings.
Background
Ancient civilizations elevated athletics to a spiritual plane; and Christianity, probably more than any other faith, continued that tradition. The Jewish world from which Christianity sprang disdained the mixing of worship and sports, as Judaism was concerned with distinguishing itself from the Greek and Roman polytheistic cultures. Experts say that as Christianity spread through the classical world, its leaders naturally adapted Christian customs to that culture. That is evidenced, they say, by the many athletic images in the New Testament. (See
Early Christians also rejected the blood sport of the Roman gladiator competitions, and of course Christians—as well as others—often were sacrificed at ancient games. So organized sports were not a Christian priority for centuries.
The emergence of leisure as a middle-class passion in the 19th century gave rise to organized sports at the same time evangelical Protestantism was enjoying its heyday. The two came together in the Muscular Christianity movement in England and America that gave birth to the YMCA network and other efforts to join sport and faith.
The alliance only grew closer in the 20th century. The famous evangelist Billy Sunday was a former baseball player who used sports as a tool for conversion, and other evangelists have followed the same tack. The Promise Keepers men’s movement was founded in 1990 by a football coach in a football stadium and is in keeping with the American evangelical tradition of combining sports and faith to attract men to church.
Catholic colleges also rode sports success to acceptance in the American mainstream.
The comfort level among Christians with sports is such that few think twice about watching—or playing—sports on Sunday or other holy days—activities that would have once been considered taboo. Contrast that with the continuing debates about whether Jewish players (such as the Dodgers’ Shawn Green in 2004) should play on holy days such as Yom Kippur or the struggles Muslim athletes have in fasting during Ramadan while continuing to compete.
While Christianity remains the principal arena for the mixing of sports and faith, American athletes are increasingly reflecting the introduction of other religious traditions. The ancient Hindu discipline of yoga has become a fitness craze for mind and body, while Eastern martial arts practices such as karate, kung fu and tai chi (which were started to get sedentary Buddhist monks into better shape) have become enormously popular as means to fitness and to athletic success.
Among the many evangelical groups focusing on God and sports is The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which is based in Kansas City, Mo., and is the leading Christian organization for professional and student athletes. The ministry aims to evangelize through sports and has members sign a Competitor’s Creed to be on Team Jesus Christ. The FCA was founded in 1954, and its huddles meet regularly on nearly 8,000 junior high, high school and college campuses for prayer, Bible study and other activities. Les Steckel, a former National Football League coach, is president and CEO. Steckel was head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and was the offensive coordinator for two teams that reached the Super Bowl: the New England Patriots in 1986 and the Tennessee Titans in 2000.
