Smith, C. (1997, July 27). God is an .800 Hitter. The New York Times Magazine, pp. 26-29.

Twenty-five of the 20 Texas Ranger baseball team attend a chapel service after practice. Here is how the Times assesses faith in professional sports:

The evangelical presence in sports has been gathering momentum since the late 70s, when teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers were known for a strong moralistic bent. But in those days, born-again athletes were often ridiculed as wimps, and the noisiest religious demonstration at sporting events was usually a guy in a rainbow wig flashing a John 3:16 sign for TV cameras. Now, thanks largely to decades of aggressive spadework at the high-school and college levels by groups like the Fellowship of Christian athletes, vocal Christian players are nearing a majority in professional sports, particularly in golf, football and baseball.

The article goes on to describe how Ranger management has intentionally combined the "God squad concept with family values." It has been part of their recruitment policy and part of their marketing strategy. A Lutheran Day gave discounted tickets through Lutheran churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In a way this emphasis on character was meant to balance off some negative images the Dallas Cowboys had generated at that time. The Rangers are also strong on community service.

Ranger president Tom Schieffer is a 49-year-old lawyer, multimillionaire investor, and past Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives. Here are some of his comments:

It’s almost as if people are hungry for this kind of emphasis. We’ve gotten ourselves into a situation in this country in which when we talk about things like religion and values, it almost sounds Victorian. Sports franchises have almost a bully-pulpit opportunity in a community. People follow sport, kids in particular. If you can have people exhibiting good character and good values off the field as well as on the field, it can have a tremendously positive impact on your community.

Schieffer considers how a ball player with Christian conviction, and a family, can be more dependable...and maybe perform more effectively on the field. But he is also is a great admirer of the fabulous New York Yankees of the 50s and 60s and knows about the drinking and partying that went on for those stars. When asked whether he would sign a Mickey Mantle today, he pauses a long time:

He was my favorite player. I woulda signed Mickey Mantle, yeah. We don’t have a clubhouse of choirboys, and we’re never gonna get to that point. Hopefully we have a clubhouse full of people concerned about other people. Mickey Mantle did a lot of good things, even though he drank too much and did a lot of things I know he regretted at the end of his life. No question he had his troubles. But maybe it would have been better if he’d played for an organization that was more conscious of it.

Billy Ripken, shortstop and younger brother of the famed Cal Ripken, is one of the Rangers who doesn’t fit the holy mold. He smokes, curses, gambles at the horse track, and has been called "bad-guy" on local talk radio. Still, Ripken will tell you he feels at home with the Rangers and is never coerced to attend chapel or prayers.

Some of these athletes of faith are recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, some have come from religious backgrounds, and others have experienced a religious conversion along the way.

The increasing proportion of Latino ballplayers, many raised in heavily Catholic countries, has helped boost chapel attendance. But the serious action has been with evangelical Christians, stoked by groups stretching from Athletes in Action to Sports Spectrum Ministries to Christian Surfers United States. ‘If athletes can sell razor blades and soft drinks,’ says John Dodderidge of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, ‘why can’t they sell the Gospel?’

There are extremes of opinion about faith and sports from various perspectives. And there are also questions of theology. Texas Ranger Will Clark isn’t part of the chapel crowd but is a practicing Catholic. Once, when he was on the San Francisco Giants, a pitcher and teammate gave up a homer and then said it was "God’s will." Clark warned him.

Hey, I congratulate you on doing something for your life, but this is about baseball. And you’d better get out there and do it yourself. The Lord didn’t hang that slider (the pitch that got hit for a home-run). The reason I walk into a clubhouse is to be a baseball player, not to set some religious example.

Although there doesn’t seem to be any tension over faith and religion in the Ranger clubhouse, that is not always the case. Gary Gaetti and Kent Hrbek were drinking buddies in Minnesota until Gaetti was "born again." Then, witnessing and tracts took the place of carousing and cursing. It drove a wedge between Gaetti and his former buddies until he was traded to California. Still, most teams are handling such differences without team division.

Another issue is the matter of proselytizing or using interviews as a chance to sell your personal faith perspective. One national sports reporter has strong convictions about "gratuitous" plugs from stars:

There’s a rule with me. ‘You get one "I thank the Lord, Jesus Christ." ‘ The next one, we’re going back to the booth. I’m not waiting for a director to cut away. Kids worship these guys, and they may come from a Muslim or Buddhist or Jewish family. Now they’ve got their hero sending a message that the only true, good way is to be with Jesus Christ. How does that kid face his parents? If they buy Nike shoes because it makes their hero better, or it makes them more like their hero, then the mental side is going to come into it, too. God didn’t choose the Jacksonville Jaguars over the Denver Broncos. This is the wrong time for religion...But I can’t say that, or Reggie White won’t talk to us.

Infielder Mark McLemore sees it differently. As a father of three and one who spends time each week with kids in a Fort Worth housing project, he sees his Christian witness as a defense against many negative forces, personal and social—not as proselytizing. When Mark’s father died last year, the Ranger’s Manager, Johnny Oates prayed with him. And he’s been personally commended by Governor Bush. This is what he says about occasional admissions of his faith and the public giving of thanks to a higher power:

Parents are looking at us—professional athletes—to solve their problems with their kids. And we can’t do that. Athletes have realized that, hey, here’s (through faith admissions) another avenue to get to kids, to get to people, to get to the public, and let them know that we’re real, vulnerable people.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. What questions does this article about athletes and religion raise for you?
2. Does it bother you when a baseball or basketball player makes the sign of the Cross before an important at-bat or foul shot? What do you think of victory dances in the end zone after a spectacular run? Do you have a different reaction to a player kneeling down for a brief prayer after scoring?
3. Are athletic stars heroes to many kids? If not, what are they and how does that affect young fans? If so, what kind of heroes do you want them to be? What can athletic stars do for society?
4. Does this article balance off negative articles you’ve read about athletes? What do you see as the benefits and the social negatives of professional sports?
5. How can people share their various faith commitments in a pluralistic society?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Celebrities are not the only and probably not the chief influence in the lives of children, adolescents, and adults. But they are in a position of prominence and influence.
2. There have been some extremely negative images of role models in society these days. It is good that such influences can be balanced by those who are committed to positive character and community service.
3. Although unfair public proselytizing is not acceptable in a secular, pluralistic society, leaders should be able to communicate their faith that has made positive changes in their lives and conduct.
4. It’s too bad that professional sports has become so much about ego and greed, irresponsiblity. and poor role models. But there are also examples of admirable character, faith and public service.