A ‘Duck Dynasty’ profile that actually gets religion

April 28, 2013 By 2 Comments
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The Tennessean had a story this weekend that made me “happy, happy, happy.”

In a March post titled “Duck, duck, goose: Media miss faith angle on ‘Duck Dynasty,’” I complained about the media’s failure to get religion in its coverage of the Duck Family Robertson. Ever shy about touting my own stories (not), I referred to the “Faith, family and ducks” piece I wrote for The Christian Chronicle.

Well, as a leading newspaper in the heart of the Bible Belt should do, the Nashville daily nailed the faith angle (and Godbeat pro Bob Smietana wasn’t even the one wrote the story). It’s also the lead story at this moment on Gannett flagship USA Today’s home page.

Let’s start right at the top:

It took only days for famed Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow to sell out a Nashville lecture at Lipscomb University in 2010.

“Duck Dynasty’s” Robertson family did the same thing this year. Only they did it three times over.

They’re so popular, Lipscomb has to have one of their appearances for the Don Meyer Evening of Excellence in the afternoon.

Friday night marked at least the third time since December a member of the popular A&E reality-show clan took a Nashville stage to spread hunting tips and their brand of “happy, happy, happy” Christianity, to steal a phrase family patriarch Phil Robertson made popular. He’ll speak again this afternoon and tonight with wife Kay and brother Si.

Their third-season finale Wednesday set an A&E series record with nearly 10 million viewers. More in the Nashville market watched “Duck Dynasty” than any other show that day, said Mark Binda, program and research director for WTVF-Channel 5.

I’ll acknowledge that I’m not entirely “happy, happy, happy” with the reference to “happy, happy, happy” Christianity because I think some readers could misconstrue it and link the Robertsons to prosperity gospel theology, which I don’t believe they preach.

But I like that The Tennessean explores the religion behind the Robertsons’ appeal:

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Filed Under: Evangelicals, Journalism, Marriage & family, Pop Culture, Radio & TV, Religion Tagged With: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

So, how did Brittney Griner end up at Baylor?

March 25, 2013 By
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Trust me when I say that I am very, very aware, after nearly a decade in this niche in cyberspace, that GetReligion readers are stunningly uninterested in sports news. However, I am a sports fan and I have noticed, as a religion-beat reporter through the years, that religion and sports often get shoved into the same blender in the American marketplace.

Can you say “Tim Tebow”? I knew that you could.

Anyway, even the most oblivious of GetReligion readers, when it comes to sports, will have noticed that quite a few tall people — male and female — can be seen on legions of cable channels at the moment bouncing and shooting basketballs. The words “March” and “Madness” are often connected with good cause. Millions of Americans are in hoops heaven, these days.

Now, as Baylor University alum, I am primarily tuned into the women at this point (although the guys are in the NIT, which staggers on year after year). The Baylor Lady Bears are the defending national champions and are the favorites to win it all once again, due in large part to the superstar center in her size 17 sneakers.

There has been quite a bit of good writing lately about 6-foot-8 senior Brittney Griner who, at this point, has clearly established herself as a gamechanger in her sport, especially on defense. It is not a stretch to call her the Bill Russell of women’s basketball. I thought that, in particular, this Kate Fagan at ESPN.com — “What Brittney Griner Says About Us” — did a great job of digging underneath much of the online hatred that Griner has faced through her remarkable career. Read it all.

The articulate young woman from Baylor also received some recent attention in The New York Times. Here is a key sample from that news feature, near the end:

As a freshman, Griner sometimes appeared to grow flustered by the taunts of opposing fans and by jostling from opposing players. After being flung in the lane, she punched Jordan Barncastle of Texas Tech, breaking her nose. But Griner has since grown largely inured to the catcalls and the strong-arming (though she drew a flagrant foul this season for grabbing Connecticut’s Stefanie Dolson by the arm and seeming to yank her down).

“I think she’s developed a really poised demeanor,” Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said. “I watch men’s games and I’m like, ‘That doesn’t happen to the best male players, the way Brittney gets beat up.’ She doesn’t seem to get discouraged. She doesn’t tank. Some players, things don’t go their way, and they tank.”

If opposing fans try to rattle Griner, they are also drawn to watch her in large numbers. When Baylor traveled this season, home attendance for opposing teams rose an average of 3,642 fans. She attracted the largest crowd ever to watch a game at West Virginia — 13,447, a ballooning contrast to the Mountaineers’ home average at the time, 1,894, lowest in the Big 12.

Asked to name Griner’s biggest influence, Gary Blair, who coached Texas A&M to the 2011 national championship, said, “Putting butts in seats at road games.” …

But there is one team that can stand up to Baylor, Griner joked Monday, pressed by ESPN commentators.

“The Miami Heat,” she said.

Now, all of this for me raises an interesting question, a question that — for four years — I have been waiting for a major newsroom to ask: Why did the No. 1 recruit in the recent history of women’s basketball, a girl who was already dunking the basketball dozens of time in competition while in high school, choose to go to Baylor University in the media hotbed of Waco, Texas?

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Filed Under: Academia, People, Religion, Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Super Bowl: Ray Lewis is Ray Lewis — deal with it

February 3, 2013 By

I have said it before and I will say it again. I know that, as a rule, GetReligion readers care very little about what happens in the world of sports.

Nevertheless, some of you may have heard that there is a rather big football game being played tonight in New Orleans, with the Baltimore Ravens squaring off against the San Francisco 49ers. It’s in all the newspapers.

Some readers may also have heard that a very famous, sure first-ballot Hall of Fame linebacker named Ray Lewis is — after 17 remarkable years — playing his last game for the Ravens.

Now, whether one considers Lewis a kind of urban saint or a man who, literally, got away with being an accessory to murder, this big man is a major figure in American sports. There is no way around this. Click here for a GetReligion post containing all of the basics.

With the Super Bowl looming, ESPN.com summed this all up the other day:

Do you believe in Ray Lewis? Do you embrace the eye black, smeared down both of his cheeks, occasionally mixed with tears? Does your heart pump faster when he dances, feet sliding, biceps bulging? Do you nod and say, “Amen” when he speaks? Do you have your name in his cellphone? There are hundreds in the NFL who do, my friend — rookies, Ravens and even the poor soul he just flattened on the 20-yard line. “I love you,” Ray will tell some of them. And they love him, too. …

Do you see it in his eyes, his passion? Maybe you roll your eyes because Lewis is doing another news conference in designer sunglasses when it’s dark outside. But do you believe? That villains can become heroes? Do you buy into what he’s selling? It’s simple, really. Either you do or you don’t; you’re in or you’re out. … Do you believe in Ray Lewis? Do you believe that a man should be judged at his very worst or his very best?

Now, I know a lot about the sins in Lewis’ past and, in posts here, I have tried to deal with the press coverage of the man’s fiery, if at times vague, faith. After reading a week or two of the “last ride” coverage, I think it is rather obvious that a significant number of reporters simply want the man to shut up — especially about God.

Forget the last pre-game dance. Many are dreading the last post-game sermon.

Well, I want to urge GetReligion readers to pay close attention to the post-game sermon. In particular, I want folks to see whether Lewis is outspoken about the blessings of God if the Ravens win and silent on the blessings of God if they lose.

Personally, I want the Ravens to win, but I rather expect the ’49ers to win (with the key being whoever runs the ball most effectively). So I think we will have a chance to hear Lewis deal with defeat.

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Filed Under: People, Race, Religion, Sports, Worship Tagged With: , , ,

Ready, set, barf: An evangelical football feature

November 15, 2012 By

Grab your air-sickness bag and let’s dive right into this New York Times sports feature.

The italicized phrases below are courtesy of me, not the Times:

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Football is not just a sport at Liberty University, the Christian institution founded by Jerry Falwell, it is a mission.

At Liberty, once a tiny Bible college but now a budding giant, the plan is for college football — big-time, always-on-television college football — to do for evangelical Christians in the 21st century what Notre Dame football did for Roman Catholics in the 20th.

Hey, homogenized evangelicals all over America, are you ready for some football!? Finally, we have a place for all the future Tim Tebows to chase their dreams!

Liberty is already packing the house for its campus games, but Jerry Falwell Jr., the businesslike son of the founder and the current university chancellor, gazes from his office in the western hills of Virginia and sees a worldwide congregation united in faith and in football. 

Hallelujah, praise the official Evangelical football team!

Other football teams run a spread offense. Liberty’s team will spread the word.

“We think there would be a vast, committed fan base of conservative, evangelical Christians around the country and maybe even folks who are conservative politically who would rally behind Liberty football,” Falwell Jr. said, smiling at the thought. “They would identify with our philosophy.”

Pssssssst, Alabama, Georgia  and Oklahoma. Enjoy elite football while you can because all the Bible Belt fans are fixing to jump ship. Go, Liberty!

The university has a motto for the cause: “Champions for Christ.”

“And yes, there are parallels to Notre Dame,” Falwell continued. “There might even be a little rivalry there — the Catholics against the Protestants.”

Given all the mentions of Notre Dame in this story, it’s amazing that the Times did not seek comment from the Fighting Irish. Apparently, the following call never occurred:

Notre Dame: “This is sports media relations.”

Reporter: “Yes, I’m calling from The New York Times. I was hoping that someone could comment on how soon Notre Dame might be able to add Liberty University to its football schedule.”

In case my subtlety has confused you, this was not my favorite story. On the bright side, I now have a solid example next time I need to define nauseating. 

Here’s my major problem with this piece: It overshoots in a big-time way, with little or no evidence to back up the breathless pronouncements about the program’s powerful potential. And the Times never bothers to talk to anyone outside of Liberty.

To read this 2,500-word account, it’s as if an evangelical university never has attempted to excel in the world of big-time college football. (On a probably totally unrelated note, does anybody remember where last year’s Heisman Trophy winner played? I seem to have forgotten.)

I could go on. But I’m starting to feel rather queasy.

What’d I do with that Pepto-Bismol?

Filed Under: Evangelicals, Journalism, Religion, Sports Tagged With: , , ,

An NBA rookie’s favorite (missing) Bible verse

October 31, 2012 By

It’s time for another season in the National Basketball Association, which is another one of those giant sports stories that GetReligion readers seem to care little or nothing about.

Hint, hint.

But do I care? No. I’m going to keep writing God-and-sports posts, no matter what. After all, I am a pretty big sports fan and I think that religious issues in sports coverage are interesting and, at times, unique. Why’s that? Well, lots of athletes are religious (think Tim Tebow, of course) and lots of athletes are not (insert an obvious name here). Some athletes are religious and still go on to make dangerous lifestyle choices that create headlines and then, lo and behold, these rich media stars may play the “God card” (think Michael Vick) as they try to bounce back in the public eye.

So what should serious journalists do when they cover these kinds of God-meets-sports stories?

As in the past, let me note that the key is to ask precisely the kinds of fact-driven questions that reporters should ask about other public figures, questions about how they spend their time, spend their money and make their decisions. It’s also important to give readers the kinds of practical, colorful details that add depth to athlete’s lives.

Alas, this is precisely what — when it comes to religion — does not happen in The Washington Post opening-day feature story on Washington Wizards rookie Bradley Beal. This is a story, it seems to me, about a family that is striving to help Beal play it safe as he enters the morally-dangerous waters of pro sports.

How do we know that? The story starts in a promising manner, one rich with symbolic details:

Even before his parents urged his two older brothers to live with him in Washington this season, Bradley Beal was determined to take his family with him on his journey through the NBA.

Beal sketched a design that he wanted etched on his right upper arm: four descending stars, with the letters B-E-A-L inside, and names of his four siblings — Brandon, Bruce, Byron and Bryon — to the right of the stars. The names of his parents, Bobby and Besta, arch above them all.

Besta Beal joined her son at the tattoo parlor when he got his first ink at age 15, and he needed her permission, because otherwise, “she would’ve killed me,” Bradley said with a laugh. Beal provided all of the artwork on his arms — including praying hands with his favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, on his left arm — but he doesn’t draw much anymore.

His hands are now reserved for that beautiful, textbook release on his jump shot, which convinced the Washington Wizards to draft him third overall last June.

Now, what is the first logical question that is likely to pop into the minds of readers after they read that passage (unless we are assuming that the typical Post reader has memorized the entire New Testament)?

Right. What, pray tell, does Philippians 4:13 say? I mean, this rising NBA star has this verse inked into his flesh in a very visible place. It clearly means something to him and this verse seems to be linked to his family — which is the whole subject of this news feature.

So why not tell readers what this verse says? What is the journalistic logic for omitting the content of this short verse, once the biblical citation has been included?

Beats me. I mean, if the story had said that this young man had carved a reference to the first verse of Kanye West’s “The Glory” into his flesh, would the Post team have omitted the lyrics and created a similar gap in the facts? I kind of doubt it. (Oh, by the way, that verse is: “I got fury in my soul, fury’s gonna take me to the glory goal. In my mind I can’t study war no more.”)

So what’s wrong with quoting the Bible verse?

Moving on. At the end of the story, the Post team offers quite a bit of rich detail about Beal’s new life as he moves inside the Beltway. Here is a sample:

Beal has developed an immediate affinity for his new home, even if he hasn’t completely settled in. As of last week, his apartment was undecorated and remained filled with boxes that have yet to be unpacked, as he prepares to move into a larger unit on a higher floor.

He had the essentials: a large flatscreen television, a stack of DVDs, an XBox and PlayStation III, a comfortable couch and beds for him and his brothers to rest their heads. Oh, and food in the refrigerator.

“That’s all you need: TV and a kitchen,” Beal said, without mentioning the obvious — his brothers.

“I’m the first one in my family to be a professional athlete, so I take that to heart and actually do it for them,” Beal said. “Because some of them were that close and didn’t make it and I feel that I do necessarily owe it to them, but I’m doing it for them. They are living through me, almost. My brothers are here, like I want them to experience what I’m experiencing.”

Now, if this young man is an active believer, what basic fact might have been included at this point as a follow-up connection to the biblical reference and some other God talk at the top of the story? What’s a logical question to ask?

Oh, and Philippians 4:13? That’s the verse (very popular with muscular Christians) that proclaims: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Filed Under: People, Religion, Sports, Worship Tagged With: , , ,

Digging deeper than Tebow as ‘nice guy’

September 30, 2012 By

Another National Football League weekend, another chance to put Tim Tebow’s name into digital print — making glad the hearts of Patheos.com leaders who live day after day in the world of Google and other search engines.

There is no breaking news about Tebow, at least not that I know of, but I remain fascinated with the fact that the media is so interested in all things Tebow, except for the fact that most journalists don’t seem to be interested at all in the actual details of his life and faith.

I mean, follow the money (thinking church offerings). Follow the guy around when he visits churches. I know it’s fun to speculate about his social life, but I think millions of people would also like to know whether he’s going to church, these days.

Thus, with serious intent, I want to point GetReligion readers toward an interesting Q&A interview the other day in which the always reliable Religion News Service veteran Adelle Banks (I will note she is a long-time friend of the Washington Journalism Center) sat down with a media scholar, Michael Butterworth of Bowling Green State University, who is studying the interactions between Tebow and the news media.

The key question: Why are journalists stuck at the level of Tebow as “nice guy,” when they could be probing the actual content of his faith and life?

Yes, there is an echo in here.

Here is a sample of the contents of this interview, which serves as a reminder that serious news organizations should experiment more with this format in their news pages:

Q: You argue that sports writers are, in a sense, giving him a pass, talking about how “nice” and “sincere” he is and not examining his faith in any depth.

A: There’s little doubt that he comes across at least as being every bit as nice as he’s portrayed to be. But there’s a clear evangelical mission that goes along with that. So we should be asking, “OK, well, what is it that Tim Tebow wants us to believe? Why is he so invested in these messages?” I don’t think there’s very much scrutiny of that in sports media coverage. …

Q: Have you had any discussions with sports writers about your views?

A. I haven’t and I have tried. I don’t think it is an intentional conspiracy by sports writers to say “Let’s put our heads together and celebrate this white guy who’s a religious guy and we’ll write about
him in these particular ways.” I think that’s the reason why a critical study of this is important.

There has been a concern that we don’t have anybody to believe in anymore. Our athletes, our great baseball players and quarterbacks, used to be our heroes. That’s so few and far between now. Tebow fills a kind of void, and I think sports writers are eager to jump on that.

There’s more, but, frankly, I would have love to have seen this interview go on way longer than it did. I say this, not because I want to see more critical debate about Tebow, but because I want to see more actual journalism done about his life and work — off the football field, in particular. Perhaps serious conversations such as this one can serve as a spark.

Does Religion News Service have more material from this session? Bring it on.

Filed Under: Evangelicals, Godbeat, Interviews, People, Sports

‘Tebowing’ to ‘Griffining’? Pay attention … (update)

September 16, 2012 By
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As a rule, your GetReligionistas rarely dig into the work of columnists and essay writers. However, in sports coverage the lines are blurred between news and commentary to a degree that goes way beyond what happens in coverage of politics, economics or other major news topics. In sports, it’s even harder — if not impossible — to avoid the news content in the work of the columnists.

Also, I consider Rick Reilly of ESPN.com to be one of the most important sports writers working in today’s news marketplace. He’s a writer whose work offers tons of information, drawn from consistently great reporting, and lots of other sports scribes pay attention to what he produces. On top of that, he seems — I say this after watching his writing over the years — to be interested in the intersection of religious faith and sports.

Thus, I was interested in Reilly’s contribution — “Griffin off to super start” — to last week’s tsunami of coverage of the breakout first performance by Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins. I’ll state right up front that — since most of my family bleeds green and gold, plus I have a pair of Baylor University degrees on my wall — I am not a neutral guy, when it comes to RG3. He’s probably my second favorite Baylor Bear of all time, after the legendary Mike Singletary.

Griffin is also an intriguing guy because of the beliefs that are in his heart, as well as the ideas that are in his head. He is a vocal Christian, if not as outspoken as the missionary and social activist who is currently playing back-up quarterback for the New York Jets. Yet the mainstream press, both nationally and here in Washington, seems somewhat reluctant to look into the role of Griffin’s faith in his amazing life story.

This leads me to the following passage in that Reilly piece.

Reilly, to say the least, is famous for his eye for factual detail. Yet something is off in the following passage at the top of his RG3 feature. Can you spot it?

On the upper shelves of Robert Griffin III’s locker at Redskins Park are six plastic action superhero figures, including The Hulk and Spider-Man.

Well, why not? Griffin is something of an action superhero himself after exactly one game in the NFL. What else would you call a rookie who went into the bleeding-ear Superdome and shocked the New Orleans Saints, 40-32, to become the first QB in NFL history to be named Player of the Week in his first game as a pro?

If he’s not a superhero, then why are they selling Robert Griffin capes?

If he’s not a superhero, how come everybody wants to be exactly like him? “Griffining” has now overtaken “Tebowing” as the meme of choice in the USA — sitting on your butt and your two index fingers pointed to the sky, which Griffin did after he threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon to stun the Saints.

So “Griffining” consists of being knocked down and then signalling “touchdown” by pointing toward the sky with both hands. Right? This is, of course, something he did once in that first game.

But the whole idea of “Tebowing” is that Tebow’s prayer-on-one-knee gesture is something that he does all the time, over and over. It follows touchdowns, yes, and it follows victories. But it also follows defeats. It’s a gesture that he makes when meeting with a cancer patient on the post-game sideline, as well as after a playoff game miracle.

So what is the equivalent gesture with Griffin? What is the on-the-field gesture, or gestures, that defined him in the past and continues to this day? In effect, why is that one recent play the definition of “Griffining,” as opposed to the hundred or so other celebrations in his life? In fact, these other gestures were used during that win over the Saints.

So watch the video at the top of this post and see what you will. What did Reilly miss, or what did he choose to leave out? In fact, what is the major element of Griffin’s life that is missing from this whole Reilly essay, as well as from the symbolic opening anecdote?

In short, what is “Griffining” all about?

UPDATE: Oh no! Griffin elects to “Tebow” this time!

Filed Under: Evangelicals, People, Religion, Sports

Endangered species: abstinent New Yorkers

August 23, 2012 By

YouTube Preview ImageOn this week’s episode of Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom,” we’ll take you inside the world of an endangered species: young humans “living the abstinent lifestyle in New York.”

I kid. I kid.

But a New York Times feature on conservative religious types waiting on sex until marriage (a la Tim Tebow) has a safari-type feel — as if the newspaper is introducing readers to zoo animals. The largely clinical portrayal of “chaste Christians” lacks any real spiritual or religious depth.

The top of the story:

Trinity Laurel moved to Manhattan at 21 to pursue a modeling career. Raised in a Christian home, Laurel was a virgin when she reached the city, and says she has “remained pure” while living here since.

Not all of her friends can relate.

“They’re like, ‘How do you do that?’ ” Laurel, now 28, said. “People are almost fascinated.”

Welcome to New York, Tim Tebow. Now that the Jets have broken training camp and Tebow, a famous chaste Christian, becomes a full-time New Yorker, it has become a common, and mildly amusing, pastime to fret about the temptations he might face or the potential loneliness he might suffer.

It has become a common, and mildly amusing, pastime … Seriously? Pastime among whom? Among average New Yorkers? Or in a specific elite American newsroom? But I digress.

Laurel figures prominently in the story, yet the Times never endeavors to go below the surface of her Christianity or her commitment to abstinence.

The newspaper never asks Laurel or the other abstinent interviewees why they refrain from premarital sex. It seems obvious that their decision relates to their religious beliefs. Yet the Times never lets them express their beliefs in their own words. Such personal insight certainly would have improved the one-dimensional story.

It’s not that the story is adversarial toward the abstinent interviewees. It’s friendly enough. It’s that the paper does not go far enough to tell a real story, instead settling for a narrative in which the main characters come across as cardboard cutouts.

One of the more interesting people quoted in the story is a campus minister:

The Rev. Michael Keller, who grew up in Manhattan and who leads the Reformed University Fellowship City Campus ministry at Redeemer, said New York’s commodified approach to sex makes life more difficult for the abstinent. “If everyone else is using sex as something to consume, you will too,” he said.

Later, there’s this from Keller:

Rev. Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian, said he did not like the idea of organizing singles-based activities for abstinent members of the congregation. “It’s important,” he said. “But I also don’t want to elevate it to make it an ultimate thing.”

What does Keller mean when he says he doesn’t “want to elevate it to make it an ultimate thing?” Are there non-abstinent, non-married members of the congregation? What does the church teach concerning premarital sex? Do young people find it difficult to adhere to those teachings?

There’s so much left unsaid — and unasked — in this story. But at least readers get to see the lions and tigers and abstinent religious types, oh my.

Filed Under: Evangelicals, Journalism, Religion, Sex, Social Issues, Sports