Religon vs Sports

by Leon Walker

The fact that Tim Tebow, the former University of Florida quarterback,
is to star in a religiously themed ad for evangelical group focus on
the family isn’t that surprising – but the stage in his career at
which he is undertaking the task is.

The ad is widely expected to center on the abortion debate.
Career-wise, is it a good idea for Tebow to get involved in such a
contentious issue with the NFL draft only a few weeks away?

Cases of sports stars flaunting their religion are so ubiquitous that
it has become almost cliché. The way a controversial religious stances
affect a player’s career – for good or ill – vary from athlete to
athlete.

Perhaps the most obvious and in-your-face adopter of a controversial
stance in sports is Muhammad Ali. The greatness of the Greatest Of All
Time somewhat overshadowed his membership of the Nation of Islam and
made his close association of its controversial leader Elijah Muhhamad
and objection to the Vietnam war a side issue.

Another Muslim devotee whose religious practices caused uproar was
Basketballer Mahmood Abdul-Rauf. The Nuggets’ 1990 first round pick
was suspended without pay in 1996 when he refused to stand for the
national anthem as his faith did not allow him to worship any symbol
of nationalism. Accused of committing a sin “tantamount to treason” by
the local American Legion veterans association the free throw
specialist was booed and jeered by fans every time he touched the ball
for the rest of the season. At the end of the 1996 term he moved to
the Sacremento Kings and two years later disappeared to Turkish side
Fenerbahce, making a brief return for the Vancouver Grizzlies a few
years later.

To sports fans, of course, sports are the religion. And in the fans’
minds, athletes can follow whatever faith they want and exactly as
they choose to follow it – as long as the player’s commitment to the
god of sport is not compromised. A great athlete, such as Ali, can
court as much religious controversy as he likes, as long as he puts up
the numbers. If Michael Jordan had committed the same “treacherous”
sin as Abdul-Rauf would he would have continued his stellar career in
the NBA? Undoubtedly – he was irreplaceable. Abdul-Rauf, however, was
expendable, and paid the price.

But with some coaches only touting Tebow for a third round draft pick,
the question remains: Now that he’ll be courting contention before his
professional career has even started, is the former Gators man a good
enough player to make the controversy a side issue? He better pray
that he is.