The weekly report on research and demographics of the secular movement
by Deanna Cantrell
The vast majority of Americans love sport, many can even be seen going to extremes.  This elevates them to the status of super-fan.  Sport may appear much like religion for man, they meet in front of their televisions every Sunday to cheer for their team.  Has a religious agenda been intertwined with sport all along?  How is an NFL player accepted among the flock when he expresses his secular views?  How do sports fans of varying demographics view the current state of the NFL?  What do Americans believe should be the penalty for violence off of the field?
Prayer in the NFL has become commonplace.┬á It has even sparked original memes and phrases, for example, Tebowing.┬á This meme took the internet by storm in 2011 and inspired barrages of content produced mimicking Tim Tebow’s, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, prayer stance that he assumes on the field.┬á According to Time magazine, every football team has at least one designated
Tebowing
chaplain whom the players and coaches can turn to for religious guidance.┬á Well, provided said guidance comes from the Bible.┬á No designated spiritual support has been provided for players of other faiths or those who do not follow any doctrine.┬á For NFL punter Chris Kluwe, a self-described Agnostic, said, “Religion plays a big role in the NFL, but I think it’s a structural role.┬á It’s like white-male privilege; it’s hard to see the role it plays if your entire life has been lived within that structure.┬á If you’re a religious guy in the NFL, you don’t see the problem.┬á You’re the one in it.┬á You have Chapel or Mass on Sunday before the game.┬á You have Bible study during the week┬á It’s built into the structure.”
The National Football League has a history of what could be seen as religious bias.┬á For example, last year Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah received a 15-yeard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after punctuating his 39-yard touchdown for practicing the Sajdah.┬á Sajdah is an Arabic word meaning prostration to God, is is performed facing Mecca and is the way a follower of Islam gives praise and glory to Allah.┬á This was Abdullah’s version of Tebowing, yet instead of his actions becoming a meme he was penalized.┬á The NFL later made a public statement on Twitter stating that there should have been no penalty, however the game was long completed.┬á “Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct,” said Michael Signora, a league spokesman.┬á The rules prohibit players from celebrating while on the ground, but officials should not “flag a player who goes to the ground as part of a religious celebration,” Signora added.┬á So, does this policy prevent a secular player from celebrating on the field?┬á Without an approved religious celebratory gesture, does this rule out celebration entirely? Is this not another form of discrimination by singling out the minority who does not subscribe to a theology?
The NFL’s First Openly Secular Player
Recently, Houston Texans’ running back, Arian Foster, spoke up regarding his secular views.┬á On the subject Foster said, “Everybody always says the
same thing: You have to have faith.┬á That’s my whole thing:┬á Faith isn’t enough for me.┬á For people who are struggling with that, they’re nervous about telling their families or afraid of the backlash…man, don’t be afraid to be you.┬á I was, for years.”┬á For six years, he remained silent, now he has been inspired by other secularists to speak up in his support of gaining respect for fellow secular Americans.┬á For now, Foster has not reported any discrimination from fellow players.┬á He listens to music in lieu of participating in the pregame prayer huddle.┬á From this vantage, it appears to be about mutual respect.┬á It was not always smooth sailing in his career, he has faced discrimination.┬á Read his ESPN interview for more of his story.
The Hand of God in Sports
Majorities of Americans (53%) and sports fans (56%) say that God rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success; more than 4 in 10 Americans (45%) and sports fans (42%) disagree.  Roughly two-thirds of Catholics (65%) and minority Protestants (68%) say that God rewards faithful athletes with good health and success.  Six in ten (60%) white Evangelical Protestants and nearly half (49%) of white mainline Protestants also believe faithful athletes are rewarded.  By contrast, only 27% of the religiously unaffiliated believe athletes with faith are rewarded, while 71% disagree.
About 1 in 4 (26%) Americans and 27% of self-described sports fans say that God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event.  About 7 in 10 (71%) Americans and sports fans (69%) disagree.  Minority Protestants (45%) are more likely than any other religious group to believe that God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event.  More than 3 in 10 white Evangelical Protestants (32%) and Catholics (31%) believe that God plays a role in determining which team wins a game.  Only about 19% white mainline Protestants and 9% of the religiously unaffiliated believe that God has a hand in the outcome of sporting events.  For even more figures on this subject visit The PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey.
It is worth mentioning that Tim Tebow has suffered two significant injuries and has spent the last two years on the bench as well as being traded from team to team.┬á The official reason is due to injury of his shoulder and rib fracture, but from polling football fans the majority argued his major malady is lack of talent.┬á Regardless, Tebow is regarded as the most outspoken Christian in the league, if faith and prayer are rewarded with health and success wouldn’t he be starting every game and impervious to injury?┬á It appears that the laws of physics indeed apply to Tim Tebow.┬á Arian Foster has also seen injury, recently undergoing surgery for a groin injury.┬á However, Foster has missed games instead of entire seasons.┬á Score one for physical therapy.