Religion and Sport

Mark Bavaro blessing himself after scoring a touchdown in 1987 Superbowl.

You may notice from time to time various athletes and football and baseball players blessing themselves before a race or after scoring a goal or a touchdown or a home-run. It is a natural reaction thanking God for yet another accomplishment. I’ve seen it many times before a track race in the Olympics, before a baseball player comes to bat, everytime a cyclist crosses the finishing line as a winner, and when a football player scores a touchdown. Jennifer Bryson who is the director of the Religious Freedom Institute’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team said that “Sport is so relevant to religious freedom because it offers a shared civic space where people from diverse traditions come together and compete towards a common goal." 

Between social media and worldwide television broadcasts, faith has been widely on display in this year’s World Cup in Russia. The Tunisian soccer team recited the Quran together in the team room, and Mexico’s soccer team celebrated Mass before their unexpected victory against Germany. A Nigerian athlete celebrated a win by waving his Rosary. Egypt’s Mohamed Salah prostrated himself in prayer after scoring against Russia. A Catholic and an evangelical from opposing teams knelt down next to each other to pray after the Belgium-Panama match. And who can forget the Panama players kneeling down in prayer after scoring a lonely goal towards the end of their match against England, even though they lost 6-1. Even the 2018 World Cup logo was inspired by the Russian tradition of icon painting, according to the FIFA website. My most memorable memory of a player blessing himself was in 1987 when Mark Bavaro, a devout player with the New York Giants caught a touch-down and knelt down and blessed himself in the end-zone, a scene that was shown many times in replay. Mark has since become a spokesperson for the Pro-Life cause.