If you are a sports fan, you will not have failed to notice how common it is for athletes to express gratitude and celebrate wins by crossing themselves or otherwise explicitly showing devotion to their God. This practice seems to have only become more common in recent years, and it is heartening to see such overt signs of religion in a non-religious setting.
It is not just Christian athletes who feel the need to publicly and sometimes immediately offer thanks for the good fortune shown to their performance. Across the world, more athletes than ever seem to be showing that faith plays a major role in their lives. It is conceivable that the actions of some of the athletes who regularly feature on TV, and even on a BetNow mobile app, are inspiring younger generations to turn towards religion at the same time.
But religious actions on the field of play are not the only way these athletes can gain strength through their religions. In this article, we will take a look at the many ways that faith can help sports athletes, and what it means to them.
Same as Everyone Else
Sports athletes, especially at the highest levels, are consistently put on a pedestal by the media and the fans. This means that they have a great responsibility in acting as role models and can do some excellent work accordingly. But, at the end of the day, they are only the same as everyone else.
Having faith – and publicly showing their faith – is one way that athletes are able to be the same as everyone else. Whether this is an explicit reason for these public displays or not is immaterial. Athletes are able to show that everyone is the same and can have the same kinds of beliefs.
Putting Failures in Perspective
We mostly notice the faith of athletes when everything is going right, like when a touchdown is scored or they win a championship. But the vast majority of even the most successful athletes’ careers are filled with (relative) failure. Losing games, or not ever winning a championship, can be difficult to take for someone who trains their entire life to be successful.
In this way, faith becomes something to help put any failure into perspective. If an athlete can believe that losing a game is just part of some kind of higher plan, then that is easier to take. This way of reframing failure can then grow resilience and make an athlete stronger and even more determined to be successful next time.
Sense of Identity
It has to be stressed that most athletes are not thinking about social media likes, content creation, or any other kind of career-driven reason when they show signs of faith. It is a deeply personal part of their personality and, like anyone who turns to religion, something that gives them a sense of identity,
For an athlete, having faith can help them forget about how results-driven their chosen careers are. Winning and losing may mean everything to some fans, but if there is something else that an athlete can cling onto to form his or her identity, they can draw great strength from that.
Focus and Professionalism
The life of a top sports athlete can sometimes be chaotic. Thanks to the huge amount of money in professional sports these days, they can easily find themselves detached from what most people would consider a “normal life”. Faith can help to ground athletes at these times and keep them focused on what is truly important.
That level of professionalism is crucial for any athlete to concentrate on what he or she needs to do to be successful, or just simply compete. Faith can eliminate self-doubt, reduce overthinking, and put an athlete in the right headspace to perform.
Maintaining Humility
On a similar note, some athletes may find the temptations open to them because of their celebrity and lifestyle difficult to deal with. Faith, again, can bring a sense of calmness to any situation and help an athlete understand why they have been put in the position they have. Through faith, they may be able to understand their talent as a gift.
The need to maintain humility can be very important for many athletes. They have been thrust into a certain kind of lifestyle simply because of their sporting talents, and that can be demanding and testing for some. Faith can keep athletes grounded and ensure that they concentrate only on the positive side of their lives.
Figure 2 Sports fans might be inspired by their heroes’ shows of faith – Source: Unsplash
Giving Thanks
As with anything else that people with faith receive in life, showing signs of religious belief is just a way of giving thanks. Athletes with faith are able to believe that their hard work and determination are just a part of what makes them who they are. They know they get strength from their faith, and that is something to be thankful for.
Faith has always played a part in sports, and there has always been athletes showing devotion. In the end, it is a deeply personal thing for every individual, and the athletes would be the first to explain that their faith gives them the strength to meet all kinds of goals. And that is something that we can all understand.
