what type of player would you rather have? religious/screwup

[the ob]

Personally I am not a fan of players who talk about religion when it comes to sports. It always drives me nuts when a player thanks god after a win , but does not blame god after a loss....

My question (with poll) is would you rather have a very religious player who conducts themselves in a way that was always politically correct and never causes controversy but talks about god and religion constantly. or would you rather have a player who causes problems occasionally (like taking pictures of himself naked and posting them online for all the world to see). note- this is a hypothetical example that I just made up and probably would not happen to any member of our team.

Obviously, I am making a very general statement and am not implying that all people who are religious are good upstanding citizens and all people who are not religious are going to take pictures of their junk and post them online.

Just curious which is more appealing.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Do they both bring in the same stats? Say, 20/10/3 ?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Personally I am not a fan of players who talk about religion when it comes to sports. It always drives me nuts when a player thanks god after a win , but does not blame god after a loss....

Why would any player blame God after a loss? Do you think that players actually believe that God dictates the outcome of games? Generally, players who thank God after a win are crediting Him for blessing them with the ability to perform at a high level, along with perhaps the wisdom to make good decisions on the field/court. Why is that a bad thing?

 

[Wheels]

What I wonder.. is if two players on seperate teams pray to God for a victory... whose side is he on? Does that mean he favors one team over the other?

 

[the ob]

Do they both bring in the same stats? Say, 20/10/3 ?

thanks for making this real.

 

[the ob]

Why would any player blame God after a loss? Do you think that players actually believe that God dictates the outcome of games? Generally, players who thank God after a win are crediting Him for blessing them with the ability to perform at a high level, along with perhaps the wisdom to make good decisions on the field/court. Why is that a bad thing?

I personally do not like to see religion mixed with sports/schools/government. I can appreciate someone right to believe in whatever religion they want to, I would just assume that it stay private. I do not understand why someone's beliefs have to be shared with the world. That being said, I do not judge people who feel strongly about their religion. that is their choice.

 

[the ob]

What I wonder.. is if two players on seperate teams pray to God for a victory... whose side is he on? Does that mean he favors one team over the other?

if god favors one team over another, he must not be a fan of either the blazers or the ducks

 

[BrianFromWA]

I personally do not like to see religion mixed with sports/schools/government. I can appreciate someone right to believe in whatever religion they want to, I would just assume that it stay private. I do not understand why someone's beliefs have to be shared with the world. That being said, I do not judge people who feel strongly about their religion. that is their choice.

Kinda getting OT, but some groups are commanded to share their faith. And what better way than pointing upwards after a TD, or saying "to God be the glory" in a post-game interview?

And a quick point about (at least many Christian) faiths...most wouldn't say "God is good and so am I". They'd say something like "I'm the worst sinner I know, and it's only by the grace of God that I'm blessed".

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I personally do not like to see religion mixed with sports/schools/government. I can appreciate someone right to believe in whatever religion they want to, I would just assume that it stay private. I do not understand why someone's beliefs have to be shared with the world. That being said, I do not judge people who feel strongly about their religion. that is their choice.

For those that are religious, it is an intrinsic part of who they are, and has significant impact on how they became the person they are today. Do you have the same reaction to people who thank their parents for the influence they had on their lives, or athletes who give credit to their old high school coach?

 

[speeds]

Seems like the great players are always a bit crazy... easy choice.

 

[OSUBlazerfan]

Why would any player blame God after a loss? Do you think that players actually believe that God dictates the outcome of games? Generally, players who thank God after a win are crediting Him for blessing them with the ability to perform at a high level, along with perhaps the wisdom to make good decisions on the field/court. Why is that a bad thing?

This

 

[crandc]

Does this "politically correct" religious player crusade against my equality (in the name of his/her god, of course)?

And why can't we just have someone who behaves him/herself and keeps his religion to him/herself?

Also, how do you define screwing up? Sexting? Spitting on a fan? Rape? Wife beating? Pot smoking? I mean, they are not all equivalent!

And who says religious people never do them? Ever heard of Governor Sanford? Congressman Vitter? (et al)

Sorry, but your poll lacks crucial data.

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

Ack should have read the question. By "screwup" I assumed it meant old school nanny raping or trying to rape strippers...not self-sausage photo shoots...

Overly preachy religious folks do bug me a lot more than people that make minor mistakes.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Treat your religion like your genitalia. Cherish them, but don't shove them in somebody's face without an invitation!

 

[illmatic99]

I'd like the player with the most game. As I have said before, character and off court stuff doesn't matter much to me.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Treat your religion like your genitalia. Cherish them, but don't shove them in somebody's face without an invitation!

How is it that publicly acknowledging something that is important to you is "shoving it somebody's face"?

 

[Minstrel]

As long as the player is helping the team win, that's the beginning and end of my relationship to him. Who he is as a person is between him and his friends, family, teammates and (possibly, but hopefully not) law enforcement.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Do you think that players actually believe that God dictates the outcome of games?

Yes, because many of them have said so. And if they thought otherwise, then they wouldn't bother praying or praising any more. After all, they already HAVE the ability, so they don't need to pray for that. Unless they think that if they DON'T pray/praise, God will take it away, which, of course, is the same as saying he dictates the outcome of games.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

As long as the player is helping the team win, that's the beginning and end of my relationship to him. Who he is as a person is between him and his friends, family, teammates and (possibly, but hopefully not) law enforcement.

When did Ed take over your account, Minstrel?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

And why can't we just have someone who behaves him/herself and keeps his religion to him/herself?

Ooh, careful crandc - that sounds a bit like "I don't care if you're gay, just don't shove it in my face."

Sorry, but your poll lacks crucial data.

True. But of course, that's true of every poll ever.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

How is it that publicly acknowledging something that is important to you is "shoving it somebody's face"?

So you're all in favor of people "publicly acknowledging" their genitals, if they're important to them?

 

[Minstrel]

When did Ed take over your account, Minstrel?

Ed and I have both always agreed what athletes are just entertainers that we have no personal connection to, like actors or pop stars.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

So you're all in favor of people "publicly acknowledging" their genitals, if they're important to them?

That's a very poor comparison, and you know it.

 

[crandc]

Ooh, careful crandc - that sounds a bit like "I don't care if you're gay, just don't shove it in my face."
QUOTE]


A couple of differences:
1) the mere existence of gay people is considered "shoving it in someone's face" by homophobes.
2) people, at least in the US, are not murdered, raped, fired, evicted or beat up because they are Christian; all these things are done to gay people because we are gay and often with the justification that someone's god wants this done to us
3) gays are not trying to take away the civil rights of religious people
4) I have no objection to someone self-identifying as Christian (or Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever) - my objection is those who use their religion to attack others and/or drag it out in every discussion. If someone asks you about your game winning shot, they are not asking you if you consider Jesus your savior.

If you ask me about my job, I don't reply "I'm gay". I answer the question.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Yes, because many of them have said so. And if they thought otherwise, then they wouldn't bother praying or praising any more. After all, they already HAVE the ability, so they don't need to pray for that. Unless they think that if they DON'T pray/praise, God will take it away, which, of course, is the same as saying he dictates the outcome of games.

Not at all. They could pray for improved focus, they could pray for protection from injury, they could pray for good decision-making--there are many things that a player could pray for on a day-to-day basis which relate to individual performance but would not be equivalent to God dictating the outcome of a game.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

If someone asks you about your game winning shot, they are not asking you if you consider Jesus your savior.

If you ask me about my job, I don't reply "I'm gay". I answer the question.

To be fair, Christianity involves adherence to a written document which (among other things) states, "...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Homosexuality has no such comparable doctrine, so it's not really a fair comparison.

 

[e_blazer]

When an athlete makes a big play, they get the applause of the crowd. Most Christians recognize that anything they achieve is only possible because of the talents and gifts that God gives them. When they point to heaven or make statements thanking God, they're simply being true to their faith by showing that they recognize the source of their achievements.

As a Christian, while I understand the motives of Christian professional athletes when they do something like this, I have to say that I wish they wouldn't. As evidenced by many of the comments here, it's often taken the wrong way by non-believers. In their shoes, I think I'd just offer a silent prayer and move on with the game.

That said, what I do find annoying is the constant chest thumping and strutting that goes on in pro football by some players after every even relatively routine plays. Yuck.

 

[oldmangrouch]

How is it that publicly acknowledging something that is important to you is "shoving it somebody's face"?

That's not what I said. I was expressing a general philosophy.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

That's not what I said. I was expressing a general philosophy.

OK. I inferred equation of the two from the juxtaposition of your statement within this thread. My apologies.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

To be fair, Christianity involves adherence to a written document which (among other things) states, "...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Homosexuality has no such comparable doctrine, so it's not really a fair comparison.

Note that's do, not say.