{"id":96954,"date":"2012-11-15T21:30:39","date_gmt":"2012-11-16T01:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=96954"},"modified":"2012-11-15T21:30:39","modified_gmt":"2012-11-16T01:30:39","slug":"ready-set-barf-an-evangelical-football-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2012\/11\/ready-set-barf-an-evangelical-football-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready, set, barf: An evangelical football feature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Grab your air-sickness bag and let\u2019s dive right into this New York Times<\/em> sports feature<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The italicized phrases below are courtesy of me, not the Times:<\/em><\/p>\n

LYNCHBURG, Va.<\/strong> \u2014 Football is not just a sport at Liberty University, the Christian institution founded by\u00a0Jerry Falwell, it is a mission.<\/p>\n

At Liberty, once a tiny Bible college but now a budding giant, the plan is for college football \u2014 big-time, always-on-television college football \u2014 to do for evangelical Christians in the 21st century<\/em> what Notre Dame football did for Roman Catholics in the 20th.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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!<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hallelujah, praise the official Evangelical football team!<\/p>\n

Other football teams run a spread offense. Liberty\u2019s team will spread the word.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think there would be a vast, committed fan base of conservative, evangelical Christians around the country<\/em> and maybe even folks who are conservative politically who would rally behind Liberty football,\u201d Falwell Jr. said, smiling at the thought. \u201cThey would identify with our philosophy.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pssssssst, Alabama, Georgia \u00a0and Oklahoma. Enjoy elite football while you can because all the Bible Belt fans are fixing to jump ship. Go, Liberty!<\/p>\n

The university has a motto for the cause: \u201cChampions for Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yes, there are parallels to Notre Dame,\u201d Falwell continued. \u201cThere might even be a little rivalry there \u2014 the Catholics against the Protestants.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Given all the mentions of Notre Dame in this story, it\u2019s amazing that the Times<\/em> did not seek comment from the Fighting Irish. Apparently, the following call never occurred:<\/p>\n

Notre Dame:<\/strong> \u201cThis is sports media relations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reporter:<\/strong> \u201cYes, I\u2019m calling from The New York Times.<\/em> I was hoping that someone could comment on how soon Notre Dame might be able to add Liberty University to its football schedule.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In case my\u00a0subtlety 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\u00a0nauseating.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s 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\u2019s powerful potential. And the Times<\/em> never bothers to talk to anyone outside of Liberty.<\/p>\n

To read this 2,500-word account,\u00a0it\u2019s 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\u2019s Heisman Trophy winner played? I seem to have forgotten<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

I could go on. But I\u2019m starting to feel rather queasy.<\/p>\n

What\u2019d I do with\u00a0that Pepto-Bismol?<\/a><\/p>\n

Image via Shutterstock<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grab your air-sickness bag and let\u2019s dive right into this New York Times sports feature. The italicized phrases below are courtesy of me, not the Times: LYNCHBURG, Va. \u2014 Football is not just a sport at Liberty University, the Christian institution founded by\u00a0Jerry Falwell, it is a mission. At Liberty, once a tiny Bible college […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":597,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,7,12,21],"tags":[384,385,383,326],"class_list":["post-96954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-evangelicals","category-journalism","category-religion","category-sports","tag-college-football","tag-jerry-falwell","tag-liberty-university","tag-new-york-times"],"yoast_head":"\nReady, set, barf: An evangelical football feature<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Grab your air-sickness bag and let's dive right into this New York Times sports feature. 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