26% Of Americans Say God Picks Winner Of Sporting Events

The Super Bowl is coming up, so the Public Religion Research Institute did a survey of Americans (questioning 1,012 adults between January 14th and 18th, with a 3.6 point margin of error).

I found that survey to be very disturbing. It seems that more than a quarter of all Americans (26%) and all sports fans (27%) don't really believe that game (or other sporting events) is determined by those playing and coaching the game. They believe God has a hand in picking the winner of all sporting events -- evidently tipping the game outcome toward his favorite team.

That poses the question of just how this invisible sky god picks his winners. Does he have favorite teams (as most sports fans do)? Does he favor the team with the most god-believers on it? Does he measure the strength of those beliefs, and make sure the strongest believers win? Are the losers to understand they have been reprimanded by god?

The whole idea of this is ludicrous. Are we really to believe that god (if he/she even exists) is callous enough to let many thousands die each day (starvation, war, natural disaster, murder, suicide, etc.), but thinks a sporting event (which has only entertainment value) is so important that he/she must intervene and determine a winner (and loser)? That makes no sense at all, and any god that capricious would deserve no believers.

The survey also asked if that invisible god rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success (see chart below). And sadly, even higher percentages believe this (evidently not understanding that this is very much the same as god picking sports winners and losers). Why would a god reward athletes while allowing terrible things to happen to others (both believers and non-believers)?

Whether you believe in a god or not, the idea that a god would consider sporting events important enough to intervene is a ludicrous idea.