Does God Watch Sports?

When a quarterback throws the ball 60 yards down the field in the closing seconds of the game, they call it a ‘Hail Mary’!   There was just such a play in tonight’s game between the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders. 

Jayden Daniels, the Washington quarterback danced around to evade some on-rushing defenders and buy his offense time to get in position in the end zone, where the remaining Bears positioned themselves too.  Then he launched the ball down the field.  It was a jump ball, but the Commanders had to catch it to win while the Bears just had to knock it down. A Bear palmed the ball on the three-yard line, but barely, and the ball flew back five yards to where a shocked Commander grabbed it.  It was a chance in a thousand.  Amazing feats of athleticism occur in sport, but this was just luck. Unbelievable. A total fluke!

In the interview immediately after the game, the successful quarterback explained that it was all down to God.  Thanks be to God!  Sounds modest, even. It is touching that an athlete attributes his skill and dedication to a higher power.  Touching when the college football team kneels in a circle before the game to pray.  Touching when the goal scorer points to the heavens in acknowledgment. (Cristiano Ronaldo thinks he is God!).  But it does seem a little arrogant to proclaim that God is on your side (and therefore against your opponents!). Especially in something that is ultimately so trivial as sport. 

Why was God on the side of the Washington Commanders?  Don’t the Bears go to church too?  Does God favor the California Angels over the New Jersey Devils?

And why would God give a crap about sport?  Doesn’t He have more important things to worry about?  What about tyranny and pandemics?  But then He does seem to turn a blind eye to earthquakes and famines.  Is He distracted?   Can He not drag Himself away from the World Series or the Premier League?

The great Johann Cruyff joked about Spanish football players.  “In Spain, all 22 players make the sign of the cross before a game. If it worked, every game would end in a tie.”

For many, sport is more important than religion, more important than politics. Sports teams define communities. Sport is a focus for patriotism, a substitute for war.  But to claim divine support, divine intervention!  Surely if God took any interest in sport at all, he would certainly not take sides!