'Faith Nights'

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Sports and Salvation on Faith Night at the Stadium

It has long been noted that in certain parts of the United States, a fine line separates sports from religion. But at a minor league indoor football game last month in Birmingham, Ala., fans may have witnessed as transparent an attempt to merge football and church as had ever been tried.

Before kickoff, a Christian band called Audio Adrenaline entertained the crowd. Promoters gave away thousands of Bibles and bobblehead dolls depicting biblical characters like Daniel, Noah and Moses. And when the home team, the Birmingham Steeldogs, took the field, they wore specially made jerseys with the book and number of bible verses printed on the back.

Donnie Rhodes, a children's minister at Gardendale's First Baptist Church near Birmingham, took 47 sixth graders to the game by bus and said it was the perfect outing. "It was affordable, safe and spiritual," he said. "And the kids just thought it was the coolest thing."

Mr. Rhodes and his students were at the latest in ballpark promotions: Faith Nights, a spiritual twist on Frisbee Nights and Bat Days. While religious-themed sports promotions were once largely a Bible Belt phenomenon that entailed little more than ticket discounts for church and synagogue groups, Faith Nights feature bands, giveaways and revival-style testimonials from players. They have migrated from the Deep South to northern stadiums from Spokane, Wash., to Bridgewater, N.J.

Third Coast Sports, a company in Nashville that says it specializes in church marketing and event planning for sports teams, has scheduled 70 this year in 44 cities, and many teams produce Faith Nights on their own.

They are about to become even bigger. This summer, the religious promotions will hit Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves are planning three Faith Days this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks one. The Florida Marlins have tentatively scheduled a Faith Night for September.

The religious promotions are spreading because they offer something for fans and for teams. Churches get discounted tickets to family-friendly evenings of music and sports with a Christian theme. And in return, they mobilize their vast infrastructure of e-mail and phone lists, youth programs and chaperones, and of course their bus fleets, to help fill the stands.

"Religion is a very big component of people's lives around here, and churches are very well organized," said Derek Schiller, a senior vice president for sales and marketing for the Braves, whose first Faith Day is scheduled for July 27. "If they decide they're going to have an outing and it's going to be an Atlanta Braves baseball game, rest assured there will be a big participation."

There's more at the link. My thoughts? The Braves should have thought about Faith Playoff Days a long time ago. Maybe then people would have showed up.

[BallWonk]

Something for the self-indulgent victim wing of conservative Christians -- you know, the whole "war on Christmas" crowd -- to keep in mind: No one is holding "Faith Night" with klezmer bands and and Torah readings, or even "Science Day" with a Bill Nye performance and Darwin bobbleheads.

Which, actually, would make more sense. Science Day, that is, since baseball offers so many great physics and applied mathematics lessons. But religiously, when you compare the playoff success of teams in the last generation to the geographic patterns of religious practice in America, you find that God is more receptive to the baseball prayers of Catholics, mainline Protestants, Jews, and agnostics than He is to the prayers of Evangelicals. Plus, what happens when the team wearing Bible verses on its back, playing before a particularly devout and prayerful crowd, gets crushed by a team from, say, California or Vermont? The Bible advises against putting faith to that kind of test, and with good reason.

[dfwabel]

Mods, shouldn't this topic be moved?

Teams have the right to make money and group tickets can be bought by anyone. No big deal. I do not see discrimination here. We are not going to have a GLBT Disney Day post are we?

[BallWonk]

Mods, shouldn't this topic be moved?

Teams have the right to make money and group tickets can be bought by anyone. No big deal. I do not see discrimination here. We are not going to have a GLBT Disney Day post are we?

Apologies if I went too far off-topic; I hope my tone of jest was obvious in my earlier post. I mean, obviously, God doesn't really prefer the prayers of Catholic Red Sox fans or Catholic and Jewish Marlins fans to the prayers of Evangelical Braves fans. The Braves don't need divine help to choke in October.

Serious, on-topic question: Are the big-league teams considering any kind of uniform changes for the events, like some minor-league teams have done? Patches? White facepaint and wristbands (like the pink and blue used for Mother's Day and Father's Day)? And in the minors, what Bible verses are teams putting on their jerseys? I hope someone in the bullpen is wearing Psalms 25:17.

[fiasco!]

Mods, shouldn't this topic be moved?

Why?

[JQK]

We're getting closer to the Mississippi Moses vs New York Hebrew Ham Fighters.

...can't wait for that.

[M59]

If the Orioles EVER have one, I'll be sure to ask for my money back on my season tickets for that night...what a pantload!

[cyandlux]

WOW! Why cant these idiots just go out and have a good time. They always need to go to an event thats about god!?!

Coming soon:

Agnostic Night!!! We're all going to hell in a hand basket...and lovin it!

Pregame: Judas Priest

Postgame: Orgies and murder!!!

A fun filled night for that little pagan in your life!

[bigreid07]

The Nashville Sounds are the team that started this program...and has been very effective for them. Great publicity for an amazing cause!

[Phil]

WOW! Why cant these idiots just go out and have a good time. They always need to go to an event thats about god!?!

Coming soon:

Agnostic Night!!! We're all going to hell in a hand basket...and lovin it!

Pregame: Judas Priest

Postgame: Orgies and murder!!!

A fun filled night for that little pagan in your life!

Sorry, but I just don't quite see where you're coming from.

These "Idiots" are integrating two parts of their lives, fath and sports, for an evening. While the American way has institutionalized a separation between the church and the state, there's nothing saying a privately owned athletic organization and a faith-based organization cannot collaborate and hold an event targeted at a very specific demographic.

Certainly you have every right to think this an odd promotion. It is unusual and different. However, to call them idiots for doing so is a little bit harsh, some might say prejudicial or intolerant? Yes, there are lots of idiots who call themselves Christians. But to generalize like you have done is uncalled for.

...and to assume that those in attendance truly think that their faith background would garner some sort of divine advantage for their team is bizarre... only the teams I pray for get that kind of advantage.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

These "Idiots" are integrating two parts of their lives, fath and sports, for an evening. While the American way has institutionalized a separation between the church and the state, there's nothing saying a privately owned athletic organization and a faith-based organization cannot collaborate and hold an event targeted at a very specific demographic.

I agree with the other guy, but that's a good point.

The problem is that some of us are all Jesused out by now. If my local minor league team did something like, that'd be the end of my support for the team. In Kentucky, my $6 being withheld certainly wouldn't make a difference. But the God squad gets to be a bit much at times. This is one of those times -- for me, anyway.

[CC97]

only the teams I pray for get that kind of advantage.

so do i blame you or god for the jets moving to phoenix?

[eSabre]

On a lighter note, the Buffalo Bisons (IL) had one tonight. It was rained out.

[cranium]

while reading the paper in Lexington ky. this week, it said the highest attendance for the Legands (Single A Astros) ever was a faith night held last year. It sounds like Clemens's appearance is going to top that. Sorry, but the whole concept creeps me out.

[griffin128]

Personally I don't care either way, it's more entertaining to watch people's reactions to stories like this.

"If MY team had one of these night's I'd never support the team again, and I'd cancel my season tickets FOREVER!!! And possibly kill EVERYONE around me!!!"

Wow, would ya really? You would give up years of something you supposedly enjoyed because of one promotional night? I'm not sure if that's pathetic or hilarious.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

I don't know, I try to stay out of religion fights, but it seems odd to me that we need a christian night. Say what you want, but it's christians. What if someone there is offended? "Sorry, you're not christian, lighten up?"

Oh and: I demand an Non-demoninational night of baseball where we play regular music with regular promotional crap.

[IceCap]

Great publicity for an amazing cause!

Yep. Nothing quite as amazing as shoving Christianity down the throats of the heavens