Thanks be to God, in locker rooms?

Catholic New Times, May 18, 2003 by Rob Malich

Growing up, I didn't realize that God was much of a sports fan. However, having worked in the sports industry and having watched file locker-room declarations of faith that now follow victories, I've come to the conclusion that the priests and teachers of my upbringing were negligent of informing us of this fact. They were obviously either not educated on this development themselves, or purposely suppressed this information from us in the Ontario Catholic school system. A public inquiry should be in order,

"I'd like to thank God for this victory," is often the first thing cited when an athlete is being interviewed post-game. When it comes to quarterbacks like Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams, God usually gets kudos first, then the offensive line, then the receivers and running backs and further down the line. Obviously, their miraculous rise from last-place team to Super Bowl champion in 1999, and Warner's own meteoric rise from supermarket stock boy to NFL MVP, came not because of coaching, hard work or an easy schedule. The reason it came about is so obvious now ... because God was on their side!

I believe the first patron saint to clue into the fact that God manipulated sporting events must have been St. Michael, because in Toronto, St. Mike's usually won most of the major sports championships, latter arrivals to the clergy scene, such as Archbishops Pocock and Romero, obviously did not give adequate praise to God when it came to athletics, because their schools usually didn't do very well. At the schools I personally attended--Michael Power and Father Redmond--our teams did okay in some sports, but not so well in others. Of course, we would have done much better had the priests and teachers in those schools focused less on matters like Jesus helping the poor and feeling at ease with the disenfranchised, and more on why he should help our team--the good guys--win.

This oversight when it comes to choosing God's loyalties is especially galling when I realize that I was among the first group of Ontario high school students to receive full funding throughout my high school years in the 1980s. Surely, the administrators could have put some of that extra money to good use by making us aware of the connection between athletic victories and Christ. Helping out at the food banks, volunteering at the church, being kind to your neighbours and those kinds of things were all good, I guess, but knowing which way God was leaning on Sunday would definitely have helped when making my NFL picks.

Of course, figuring God has a hand in the outcome of sporting events shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, since He Himself has had a rooted interest in many of the major wars that have taken place since the beginning of time. The Christians had a pretty good streak going at the time of the Crusades, but since God was on their side, how could they lose, right? The British Empire had it rolling their way for a while, because not only did the Almighty have a hand in those First and Second World outcomes, but he had help from the Queen as well. "God save the Queen," sounds a lot better and makes a lot more sense than, "God save the poor and downtrodden," doesn't it?

And how about the latest group to make the most of God's loyalty to them, the good ol' U.S. The whole, "God Bless America," theme must mean something, right? Why are they the world's only remaining superpower, with the right to bear arms and break legs, while ignoring environmental treaties and invading foreign countries?

Because God is on their side, that's why! George W. Bush knows this, the Rep publican administration knows this, selected scholars and educators know this ... but we the students in the Ontario Catholic school system were never taught this. It is not right, this neglect of such a vital piece of religious information.

Obviously, something must be done when it comes to teaching about God and the role of Jesus Christ in our society today. A fundamental shift is in order, so that the issues of sports and war are given their proper priority, ahead of the more mundane and 'old-school' philosophies such as peace, brotherhood and compassion for the poor. We in the Ontario Catholic school system have to get in line with the times, and I will do all I can to help us get there. Go God go!

Rob Malich teaches at Blessed Edward DeBonno in Thornhill, Ont.