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Sport and Religion

Sport and Religion After searching for articles on religion in sport, I came across a few that caught my attention. The investigation of the Champions for Christ (CFC) by the NFL, Mahmoud Abdul-Raufs refusal to stand during the playing of the national anthem, and Brandon Pardon feeling so pressured into praying by his coach and fellow teammates that he quit the team. I hope you will find these issues as interesting as I did. The Champions for Christ (CFC) was founded in Austin, Texas in 1985, and is primarily made up of athletes, including A.C. Green of the Dallas Mavericks, who is a vice president of the group, and Washington Redskins cornerback Darrell Green, who is a board member. According to Dave Jamerson, a spokesperson for CFC, said that their sole mission is to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the athletic world and to rise up Christian leadership. The controversy involving the Champions for Christ rose when an agent of CFC, Greg Feste a Texas businessman, signed a contract to represent Curtis Enis. Enis, who is a rookie with the Chicago Bears, accepted Christ through Balls influence. Afterward, Enis fired the agency that represented him because of an alleged arm-twisting to get athletes to tithe CFC. But both CFC and Feste deny and collusion was behind the deal. It is not official that an investigation will take place but the NFL stated that it was not an attempt to interfere with the religious beliefs of players, but was motivated by a concern that players could be taken advantage of financially. The National Basketball Association (NBA) indefinitely suspended Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, formerly know as Chris Jackson, for refusing to stand during the playing of the national anthem. Abdul-Rauf’s initially refused to stand during the nation anthem because he believed Islam and the Koran mandated nothing should interfere with his relationship with Allah. At times, he remained in the locker room during the singing of the national anthem; at other times, he quietly remained courtside and stretched. Many believe this action was un-American and his suspensions should never have taken place because the First amendment guarantees free exercise of religion and prohibits the establishment of religion. The NBA’s action raises serious legal issues under the anti-discrimination laws, which generally forbid discrimination against employees on the basis of religious beliefs. However, many pundits and self-proclaimed legal and religious scholars have claimed Abdul-Rauf’s understanding of the Koran and Islam is faulty. Although his understanding of religion is not the issue. Religious beliefs are personal and an individual’s personal creed often differs from organized religious thought. However, Abdul-Rauf did finally agree to stand for the national anthem. After sitting out for one game, Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand and pray during the anthem’s playing. He contradicted his personal religious beliefs and stood for the playing of the National Anthem. Did Brandon Pardon just want to play, not pray? Pardon, the sophomore Wright State point guard quit, saying he felt pressure to take part in Perrier sessions with teammates. His coach, Ed Schilling, does not believe prayer was the reason. Schilling believes he was upset about the team rules in general and was looking for an excuse to leave the Raiders. Pardon had complained about having to live on campus, attend a study table and eat breakfast with teammates but never mentioned praying. The Raiders would pray after practice, before and after games. Praying was voluntary but Pardon felt as if it were forced on him even with the separate rooms that were available. The issues I have briefly mentioned are controversial either way. The Champions for Christ true intentions will be hard to prove, Abdul-Rauf’s religious beliefs are different but should they be questioned, and Pardons feelings of being pressured into praying only he can truthfully answer. Should religious beliefs of athletes be open for public discussion? Bibliography:

Word Count: 643