The "So How Do You Feel About Sports And Religion?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading another story about athletes and their religion.  I have found quite a few stories in the past couple of weeks that tell of professional athletes and their willingness to tell the story of their faith and how it has influenced their life and the choices they now make.  

Nick Foles and Carson Wentz, Eagles quarterbacks.

As you have probably read if you are a reader of my blog, I am a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.  Not the boisterous and obnoxious fan as many are, but just a plain down-to-earth fan of a great football team.   I loved the way the team fought their way to the Super Bowl through the many injuries and setbacks they endured.  But what impressed me the most were the leaders on the team who quietly talked of not only their football journey, but their spiritual journey.  We all know the story of Nick Foles and the fact that he wants to become a pastor sometime in the near future, but there are many more athletes on the team that also worship the same God that Nick Foles does.  The guy who Nick replaced in the lineup when he went down, Carson Wentz, said that "Faith, to me, is the No. 1 thing in my life.  If Jesus isn't in it, I don't want to be a part of it."  It was reported that the Eagles' Christian faith became "the locker room's binding force" as the team played through injury after injury.  Some of the leaders on the field weren't afraid or embarrassed to talk about their faith and this had to be an influence on others in the locker room.  Sure, some just didn't feel comfortable talking about Jesus, and there may have been a few who didn't care about religion, but for those who did, they felt it was that force that brought the players closer together as a team and as individuals.  They had as much belief in Jesus as they did in their coach, Doug Pederson.  Many teams have Bible study groups, but the Eagles' group seemed to grow throughout the season.  

The baptism of Marcus Johnson before a game.

On October 12th, before the Eagles would take the field against the Carolina Panthers later that evening, Eagle wide receiver Marcus Johnson gathered with a bunch of teammates and friends at the hotel pool to be baptized.  It was so important to him that he posted a photo of his baptism on his Twitter account.  I've played sports most of my life, but have never been exposed to teammates such as were on the Eagles this year.  I have always believed in the Holy Trinity, but what might I have become if I had been a member of the Eagles this year?  

An advertisement for the movie "42"

I also recently read a story about the 2013 movie about Jackie Robinson, the baseball player that broke the color barrier in major league baseball.  The story said that Robinson's faith was integral to his success, but you didn't see any of that if you went  to see the movie.  The filmmakers of the movie "42" were evidently uncomfortable with all this religious stuff and avoided it in the movie.  And, many believe that omitting the role of faith in this story does a serious disservice to history.  Seems that Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey made it clear to Robinson that he wanted someone to be the first African American in the majors "with guts enough not to fight back."  He needed someone who would resist the temptation to retaliate.  If not, they would not succeed in baseball.  Robinson was chosen by the deeply religious Rickey because of his faith and moral character.  He knew Robinson was more than a great athlete.  He could turn the other cheek.  

First African American to play in the Major Leagues. Jackie
Robinson, the Hall Of Fame player, broke the color barrier
in 1947.  His faith was a major reason for his success.

It was said that there were many nights during his first couple of years that he got down on his knees asking for strength from God.  Seems that the filmmakers of "42" were uncomfor- table with all this so they just avoided putting it in the film.  Faith had always played a big part in Jackie Robinson's life.  Couldn't they see how much more powerful the movie could have been had they included this in the film?  I'm sorry to say that much of the abuse Jackie Robinson had to endure was at the hands of my favorite Philadelphia baseball club, the Phillies.  The name calling and taunting he had to endure were tremendous.  Only after realizing this do you truly understand how special Jackie Robinson really was.  Religion will always be a part of sports.  Some wish it weren't true, but it's bound to be part of sports as much as religion is part of life.  So, should we embrace it or not.  I guess it is up to each and every one of us to decide for ourselves.  I believe you know how I feel, but do you know how you feel?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.