Sports & Prayer

The Jamaicans in our local church were pleased to see the bulletin item - JAMAICA IN SOCCER FINAL. The item appeared the Sunday Jamaica was scheduled to meet Mexico, following their 2-1 victory against the United States.

Apart from the novelty of having a sporting event featured in a church bulletin, one may question what does religion have to do with sports. Thankfully, our church was not praying for Jamaica to win, although that was desired, we were praying for some of the other benefits derived from sports. 

We were praying for “a clean game, without injuries and an honorable display of sportsmanship.” Although Jamaica lost the game, that prayer was answered. Somewhere along the line we have been led to believe that sporting activities were designed only to identify champions. Consequently, we are taught to demonize opponents, in that they are there to obstruct us from becoming champions. 

Sometimes I wish I could hear the prayers of competing teams. Are they both asking the same God to help them win? Such thinking trivializes prayer. Praying before or during a sporting event should be bigger than “Lord, help us to win.”

Because of the recently completed Women’s World Cup in Canada and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in America, allow me to use soccer as a case study in our reflections on Sports and Prayer. Here are some reasons why players and fans need to pray.

Soccer has its moments of stress and anxieties. One such anxiety comes with the taking of penalties. Studies confirm that this unplanned event is one of the most stressful in the 90 minute game. Business Insider reports that on average, in a penalty, a soccer ball travels at about 70 mph. With the penalty spot just 36 feet from the goal, that means it will take the ball less than half a second to reach the net. That gives the goalkeeper about 700 milliseconds to look which way the ball is going, decide which way to jump and move his body in that direction.  

In addition, there is the emotional weight of the team, the fans and the nation one is representing. In the case of penalty shoot-outs, the outcome of the game could also be determined by the success of the goalkeeper or penalty kicker. Prayer does relieve much of that stress. 

Although not the most dangerous sport, serious injuries have taken place on the soccer field. Players have suffered concussions, broken bones, dislocations and varying sorts of career-ending injuries. The ripple effects of such injuries affect many, including the player, his sporting fraternity and his family.

The likelihood of injury introduces the whole subject of safety – not just the safety of the players, but also the fans. Stadiums have collapsed killing fans, riots have broken out among fans and various forms of disorder have taken place among unruly fans. Actually, crowd control is no easy task. Imagine, in an emergency, having to evacuate 60,000 persons within a limited period of time and through limited exits. Personally, I pray for safety at soccer games.

Ongoing studies by sport psychologists confirm that an athlete’s spiritual and religious beliefs seem to promote deeper meaning to their athletic successes, failures, struggles and disappointments. In essence, the religious beliefs of the athlete is closely linked to his/her motivation to play.

One way Christian athletes can respond to the self-focused, self-indulgent way of thinking that is so pervasive in competitive sports, is to define sports participation as a religious encounter. One researcher found that some Christian athletes often used prayer in sports to “give glory to God”. The researcher cited one athlete who used the verse, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, but for the Lord, not for man” (Colossians 3:23), as his motivation in sports. 

Despite the disdain shown to Christian athletes by many in the media, there is a growing interest in sports and religion within some institutions. One such institution is York St. John University in York, England. At York there is an academic research Center for the Study of Sport and Spirituality, which encourages a multi-disciplinary approach to sport and spirituality. 

The existence of organizations like Christians in Sports, The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and The Center for Sport and Jewish Life in America, further illustrate the growing interest and importance of the interaction between sport and religion.

So, when we see athletes pray, or when we pray for athletes, our prayers should be much more than “Lord, help us to win.” Our prayers should instead focus on tempering attitudes among those who win and those who did not win. Like one team, we should be praying, “May we put into practice all that we have learnt in our training, and bring to mind all the skills and planning from our preparation times.”