Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
I could hardly believe the news last week when I read that Wilson Ramos, the Washington Nationals catcher, had been kidnapped in his native Venezuela. It just seemed like something out of a movie rather than real life. And reading this great play-by-play of his abduction and rescue makes you realize it could be a movie.
The president of a media company recently told me that he goes to ESPN every day to unwind. Not this week, of course, with all the Joe Paterno coverage. Many fans like sports to be kept pure, to focus on the game of stats without the stickiness or drama.
Those who doubt that sports play a pseudo-religious role in American life now have their answer. Whether we are talking high-school football, high-school hoops in Indiana, baseball in Boston, college football in Alabama or pro football in Green Bay, it should be clear to all that — at least in terms of sociology — the line between fans and believers has all but been erased.
Another day, another article on the outrage over Tim Tebow’s publicly expressed faith and the backlash towards those who are outraged.
This has certainly been an interesting year for quarterbacks in the National Football League. Trust me, I know that journalists always pay close attention to quarterbacks (I worked in Denver during most of the John Elway era), but it seems to me that news people have been dissecting these guys to an unusual degree, as of late.
A few days ago a reader sent in this Yahoo! Sports story about Chaz Hine, a University of South Florida lineman. Hine sounds like an awesome subject for a story and we learn that not only is he a tough football player but he’s also a musical performer.
As I write this, Tim Tebow is three for five in the passing department for a total of 24 yards early in his start for the Denver Broncos against the Miami Dolphins. He has not, to my knowledge, parted the waters off South Beach or performed any miraculous act (unless there was a healing in the pre-game ceremonies).
It’s baseball playoff season, which makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. I really don’t like feeling out of the loop because I read the Internet quite a bit and like to feel “in the know.”
