It wasn't so long ago that sports fields were the devil's playground. Babe Ruth could commit five of the seven deadly sins before noon and hit three home runs by dinner. In Damn Yankees , it was Satan, not God, who offered the Washington Senators a pennant in exchange for a player's soul.
Offense wins games.
But today there are Angels in the Outfield , and God seems to be following pro sports more intently than any Vegas bookie. The Rams won the Super Bowl last week because of a Warner touchdown pass. That was all God. I had to make an adjustment on the ball, and God did the rest. Emotional, highly personal, nondenominational Protestantism has supplanted Catholicism as America's dominant sports religion.