God and football. This is outrageous:

[Kingofalldems]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/where-college-football-is-a-religion-and-religion-shapes-college-football/2014/08/29/8d03de32-2dfa-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html

[LittleBlue]

1. What's outrageous?

Players are not required to attend FCA meetings or participate in devotionals and team prayers, but Freeze encourages them to join him. On this day, dozens have taken him up on it. “I tell them or our position coaches will: ‘We have worship on Sunday,’ ” the coach says.

“I don’t stand over them, make them do it; certainly they hopefully see that it’s important to me and maybe the way I live and the way these other coaches live. Maybe it attracts them to it.”

It's not required. College teams have over 100 players, and the article says "dozens attended", meaning he got nowhere close to the whole team attending. He seems open about his faith, and every recruit that comes there knows they'll be playing for a super Christian coach. Which probably gives him a leg up on Christian recruits while turning away nonreligious ones.

Some recruits like the party atmosphere, and some are drawn to a more spiritual lifestyle. I recall several universities losing Christian recruits because they threw sex parties for the recruits.

[Kingofalldems]

3. Coercion.

[LittleBlue]

4. You'd have to prove that

It appears that much of the team did not attend, so obviously they didn't feel coerced.

[Kingofalldems]

7. I don't have to prove anything.

So if a football coach in the South 'suggests' his players attend these services it's not coercion? Obvious to me it is. And they are a tax supported organization. Ever hear of Separation of Church and State?

[LittleBlue]

10. Yes

And without requiring the players to attend, he's well within his rights.

Just because he's a state employee and he organized a church group at his workplace, that doesn't mean he's broken any laws. Preventing him from doing this would violate his constitutional rights.

[Kingofalldems]

11. Ah, not if they are receiving Fed money.

And they do this in public buildings. Try again.

[LittleBlue]

12. It doesn't matter whether it's in a federal building or not

Even if it were a federal school (do such things exist?), the rules are the same.

You couldn't prohibit them from meeting due to freedom of religion.

If you disagree, find me the law that states they can't meet for church groups.

[Kingofalldems]

13. Then we should cut their funding. Obviously you are in

favor of this. Nothing more to discuss.

[LittleBlue]

15. They fund themselves

The football program doesn't get funded from the fedgov. Big programs like Ole Miss football not only pay for themselves, including the coach's salary, they pay for most of the other sports programs too.


Without football, you'd have to cut almost every other sport. Because almost all lose money, with the exception of some men's basketball programs.

[Kingofalldems]

16. So Ol' Miss gets no federal funding?

And they are not the only one. Read the article please.

[LittleBlue]

17. Ole Miss gets federal funding

The football program does not. They rely on ticket sales, TV contracts and boosters to fund their operations. With those profits, they fund other college sports that don't get attendance and can't pay for themselves.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what the coach is doing anyway. File and lawsuit and watch a judge toss it out.

[Kingofalldems]

19. Too bad you don't like my opinion,

last time I checked it's allowed here. You don't like it? Sue me.

[Go Vols]

37. I won a grand on Ole Miss Thursday night.

Church is a problem with people.Fuck church.

This is less worse?

[H2O Man]

18. I'm not in favor of it.

I think it's likely offensive to a fair share of religious folks, too. However, I do not think it violates any federal laws. In part, of course, that's due to the decisions made since the Reagan era, by conservative "christian" judges. These decisions are also offensive. But, until some legal case leads to a change in direction, they define the law.

That is one of the reasons that mid-term elections are so important, I suppose.

[qazplm]

56. is it legally required? No you are right

they won't lose their scholarship over it.

Does it make an 18 year old think he better do this if he wants a chance to start or see playing time?

Come on, of course it does. And mixing sex and faith is not something that is as rare as a unicorn. These SEC schools can walk both paths simultaneously quite easily.

[Dawson Leery]

2. I cannot stand football.

Still I want to see the religious nuts lose. I enjoy watching Clemson, Notre Dame, Old Miss, etc... lose.

[cherokeeprogressive]

36. I refuse to go to a state where football is played. I also avoid cities with Burger Kings.

In fact, I refuse to watch TV channels, broadcast or otherwise, which carry fast food advertising. I have also blocked all radio stations from my car radio and XM/Sirius that advertise fast food, football, or anything I don't like.

I'm seriously considering limiting my travels so they exclude any piece of asphalt that might lead to a location where a football stadium or fast food joint might be located.

[Go Vols]

38. I wonder what state has no degree of football.

Or are you abroad?

[cherokeeprogressive]

41. I'm not a broad...

But I am sometimes facetious.

[Go Vols]

42. :)

[Inkfreak]

46. LOL!! (nt)

[A HERETIC I AM]

48. ......

Too funny.

Guess that leaves my Holiday season without Nog, eh?...LOL

I know! Send your new drone with a note attached!

"Please put the following items in the basket. The drone has a check in it's mouth. Thanks"

[cherokeeprogressive]

50. The drone part reminds me of an old BC comic...

Communicating by floating tablet... the tablet comes with a clam and the explanation "This is an example of our currency."

The tablet gets sent back... "Send another coin. A clam got the first one."

Hope you are well My Brother. Drive safe.

[A HERETIC I AM]

51. Some of those old BC's were great!

Though as it turned out, Johnny Hart was a bit of a right-wing ass...but still, he could do a funny comic.

Been driving safe, but the wellness bit needs work! In a hospital in Troy, MI at the moment, getting my lungs blown back out. (Serious COPD episode)

I'll be OK. Should get out of here later today.

Be good, ol pal.

[Nye Bevan]

5. Optional worship services for college football players?

I feel your outrage.

[alp227]

35. Unfortunately, this isn't really right in public colleges,

and some of what's offered smacks of coercion.

[Historic NY]

6. Were praying for a winning season at Army...

because if I got to sit in a traffic jamb in the burbs next week they better kick ass.


Usually the tailgate parties continue if they win.

[Inkfreak]

47. Will they ever not run the ball??!!

I realize that the talent isn't as high. But it's murder watching them run, run, run the ball. With a pass every quarter.

I love Army, though!

[Historic NY]

58. Hey it worked they won 47-39 ...

I will say traffic was backup a couple miles with early arrivals this AM.

[Kingofalldems]

8. BTW, what does God have to do with football?

[A HERETIC I AM]

49. God and his followers ....

(The so-called "Real" Christians) hate Soccer, as evidenced by the 27 or so people worldwide that attend Soccer games and tournaments.

Hence, God loves American Football.

[Terra Alta]

9. Time for a separation of church and sports.

Don't think God cares who wins football games anyway.

[valerief]

14. My, how peer pressury. Football is barbaric anyway. nt

[Shrike47]

21. Do the teams with the best prayers win?

[Kingofalldems]

22. Apparently God is mad at the losing team.

[Initech]

23. I like what George Carlin said:

"And here's another thing - those Christian athletes who thank God every time they win, but when they lose you never hear a peep! God is undefeated in their book!"

[Nye Bevan]

28. Because God will always take time out from His busy schedule

to manipulate sporting events in response to requests from multimillionaires.

[Initech]

34. "Excuse me, I have to go appear in a tortilla in Mexico."

[Go Vols]

39. No

[mountain grammy]

24. Important story here, and it is outrageous.

[Jenoch]

25. Asol long as the players

are nor required to attend religeous services and are not penalized in any way for not participating, I don't have a problem with these activities. There is a religeous culture in the south and it appears that it is not a requirement to participate. I participated in athletics in high school and college and there was a team prayer before every event. The prayer was said by one of the athletes, not a coach.

[SheilaT]

26. Football itself is a religion.

Probably a secular religion, but a religion nonetheless.

[Laffy Kat]

27. We are SPECIFICALLY looking for football-free universities for our son.

We don't like the culture, the expense, and the messages college football encourages and/or requires.

[Nye Bevan]

29. Send him to a UK university.

This whole "college sports" thing is very much an American phenomenon.

[Laffy Kat]

30. If we send him to the UK it'll be Hogwarts.

We're OK with quidditch.

[Nye Bevan]

31. Tough to get into:

[Laffy Kat]

32. LOL. I'll have to show this to him.

It's true he sucks at Spell-ing!

[Go Vols]

40. or

http://www.keele.ac.uk/

[Laffy Kat]

44. Thanks for the link.

He's physics, though. Hey, I'm originally from Memphis, GV! Where are you?

[Go Vols]

45. Halfway

tween Nash and Chatt for a bit.

[Arugula Latte]

57. I hope American football eventually withers away.

More and more parents (like us) refuse to let our kids play due to the risk of brain/spine injuries. It's probably a pipe dream that eventually that awful sport will slink back into the sewer due to lack of players, but a person can dream ...

[edbermac]

33. Dropkick me Jesus through the goal posts of life.

[Go Vols]

43. Bobby Bare kicks ass

[grahamhgreen]

53. Like God & War. God don't want no one a-killin each other. Read that in the Bible.

[mnhtnbb]

54. If you are a college football fan--or married to one--and watch many games

it's apparent during the interviews after the game how seriously these players
take their religion/faith. Invariably, they invoke the name of Jesus or Lord
during the interview.


What bothered me on Saturday, though, was watching the pre-game hype on ESPN prior to the noon games.
They were talking about the Oklahoma State/FSU game, and the Lee Corso actually brought out a couple of pistols--
and was firing them off--in reference to OSU's mascot, Pistol Pete. And all the other announcers just thought
that was so funny!!

So, God and guns altogether for college football.

It's a strange country.

[Arugula Latte]

55. Ugh.

That is outrageous.