It started in CYO basketball and cheerleading. Our coaches would say a quick prayer before games. I understood asking for God’s help to play to the best of our abilities, but I often wondered about why they asked the all mighty to help us win a game or event. Did God have favorite teams? Did he prefer St. Margaret’s basketball team over SCS? What did SCS do to piss Him off? How could we get in His good graces again to end our losing streaks?
The praying didn’t stop there though as it featured prominently in high school and college sports as well. I didn’t think much of it through the years as it was as commonplace as singing the national anthem before a game.
Watching Phillies baseball over the past few weeks, I’ve been surprised at how often a player (on our team or elsewhere) makes the sign of the cross after a good play. Tonight a Diamondbacks player made it to first base after getting a rare hit off of the Phillies’ Cliff Lee. As soon as he touched the base, he made the sign of the cross.
Does God care who wins? Doesn’t He have more important things to worry about than overpaid jocks hitting a change up or making a game saving catch? If everyone is praying for a win, how does God choose? Does he trip a player or send an extra gust of wind to carry a ball into home run territory?
Apparently God is a Phillies fan (at least today) because no matter how hard they prayed tonight, the Diamondbacks were destined to lose 8-1.
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I always kinda thought of people making a sign of the cross after something like that as a moment of thanks.
ReplyDeleteGod has no favorites; I can see praying for good sportsmanship and safety of players. If a team member makes it to first base, I can see making a sign of the cross as a sign of thanksgiving--something many persons rarely do for the little things in life. If I made it to first base just for a "walk," I would probably sing "alleluia." I was noted for striking out many times. One time, however, I made a triple on a bunt because of errors. Now that's something for which to be thankful. Have a great day. :)
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