“Faith Days” Pitch Evangelical Christianity in the Ballpark
The first of these spectacles, a July 27 “Faith Day with the Braves” at Turner Field in Atlanta, included Braves ace pitcher John Smoltz sharing how his life changed by believing in Christ. It also featured Christian Rock, led by Aaron Shust, who, according to promotional materials, is the voice behind the “hit single ‘My Savior My God.'”
In a piece for The Nation, Dave Zirin argues that “Faith Days” represent “the ugliest edge of right-wing evangelism and its advancing influence.” One of the organizations behind Faith Days and Nights is Focus on the Family. Zirin writes:
“According to People for the American Way, [Focus on the Family] is ‘anti-choice, anti-gay, and against sex education curricula that are not strictly abstinence-only…. FOF also focuses on religion in public schools, encouraging Christian teachers to establish prayer groups in schools. FOF supports student-led prayer in public schools, although it points out that it doesn’t support teacher-led prayer for fear that a teacher would encourage Christian students “to pray to Allah, Buddha or the goddess Sophia against the wishes of the parents and/or students.”‘ It is also perhaps the leading proponent of ‘reparative therapy’ for homosexuality, and its leaders agitate against the adoption of children by gay couples. Their obsession with what they call ‘the homosexual agenda’ is shared by Smoltz, who in 2004 likened gay marriage to ‘marrying an animal.'”
In addition to the preaching of intolerance, let’s not forget that there’s also a taxpayer and consumer issue here. In stadiums and arenas with the expenses of team owners payed for by taxpayers (publicly funded stadiums & arenas, free land, tax breaks) as well as by fans (tickets, concessions, parking), do people have the right — or at least the expectation — not to see their home team advance a specific form of religion at games?
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"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- League of Fans Sports Policy Director Ken Reed quoted in Washington Post column titled "What happened to P.E.? It’s losing ground in our push for academic improvement," by Jay Mathews
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
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