The Idolatry of Sports

I took my two youngest sons to Citizens Bank Park this past Wednesday night to watch the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.   The game was close until the Dodgers scored 4 runs in the 8th Inning.  It was an enjoyable night despite the disappointing outcome.  Despite the disappointing outcome, last night’s game has had no meaningful impact upon my life.  I am still a sinner in need of God’s mercy.  I still have responsibilities as a Catholic, a husband and a father that I must fulfill and I still need His help to do so. 

 
Living in the South Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sports is an all consuming feature of daily life for a great many people, especially during football season.  Philadelphia is home to five professional sports teams, namely the Eagles (football), the Flyers (hockey), the 76’ers (basketball), the Union (soccer) and the Phillies (baseball).  Philadelphia sports fans may be characterized as passionate at best and psychotic at worst, especially during football season.  

 
Most recently, Philadelphia hosted not only the Major League Baseball All Star Game but also several of the FIFA World Cup soccer matches.  Not being a soccer fan, I avoided Philly on the days of the World Cup matches.

 
Sports has its place in our society.  Sports does have some beneficial aspects for our society.  

 
I am not writing this article to condemn sports.  I ran track in high school and played intramural sports in college.  I have been a Phillies fan since 1980 and a Baltimore Orioles fan since 1993.  I have many wonderful baseball memories and have seen some of the game’s greatest players including Cal Ripken Jr., Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Ken Griffey Jr., Joe Morgan, Roberto Alomar, Ryne Sandberg, and Mike Mussina.  I have also seen two of the more infamous players:  Pete Rose and Barry Bonds.  My daughter played soccer when she was much younger. Fortunately, she lost interest in soccer at the time that she would have transitioned from a local league to a travel league.  

 
My youngest son has special needs. Participating in sports has provided him with some therapeutic benefits.  He plays basketball with NJ Special Olympics and runs track with our town’s youth track program.  

 
But I have seen all too often how obsessed people can become with sports, especially living in the greater Philadelphia area for the last 16 years.  My wife and I know parents who spend nearly every weekend and many weeknights taking their kids to sports practices, games and tournaments.  Many of them take their kids to sporting events across our region, often driving several hours each way to participate in these events.   During football season, we see numerous fellow parishioners wearing Eagles jerseys to Sunday Mass.  When the Eagles played in the Super Bowl in 2025, our school district cancelled classes on the following Monday because of the Super Bowl. Our school district was not the only one to do so in our region. 

Unless someone is a player or works for the team in some capacity or has some professional or personal connection to the team, a professional sports team’s performance has no tangible or meaningful impact upon the average person’s life.  

 
For example, if the Phillies win the 2026 World Series, their victory will have no meaningful impact upon my life.  I will still have a mortgage, insurance and car payments to pay.  I will still have my daughter’s college tuition to pay.  My wife and I will still have to manage our sons’ special needs.  I will be happy that my Phillies won but my life goes on regardless whether they win the World Series or finish in last place.  

 
In stark contrast, God does impact my life in a meaningful way on a daily basis.  God still loves my family and I every day.  Jesus still died on the Cross for our salvation and rose from the dead to open up Heaven to us.  The Holy Spirit is still there to guide us in our journey to Heaven.  Our Blessed Mother Mary and the saints and the angels are still there to intercede and advocate for us in Heaven.   All of this occurs regardless of what happens on a football field or a hockey rink or basketball court or baseball diamond.  

 
Catholic men’s conferences often feature professional athletes to draw men to attend the conference.  Some athletes have very compelling faith experiences to share.  One of the best speakers that I have seen was Joe Klecko, Hall of Fame defensive lineman for the New York Jets and a member of the Jets’ famous NY Sack Exchange of the 1980s.  He spent far more time talking about his faith journey and how Christ impacted his life than his many football accomplishments.  

Just before Spain played Argentina in the finals of the FIFA World Cup, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of Orihuela-Alicante, Spain, warned about sports becoming idolatrous.   He said, “For enjoying the sport is one thing, but turning it into a religion is something else entirely.”

 
In summation, sports has its place and so does God.  We should never confuse the two in our priorities.  The danger in sports is allowing it to supplant God and thus elevate sports to a position of idolatry.