Faith in Sports: Athletes and Their Religion on and Off the Field Book

Like the rest of America, headline-grabbing sports figures are getting religion in a big way these days. Unlike in years past, though, they are not keeping it to themselves; instead, they are taking it onto the field with them. Award-winning sports writer Steve Hubbard features high-profile athletes who are sharing their faith in uniform and out: men and women, pros and amateurs, from across the sports spectrum. From football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, and boxing, to the widely followed Olympic events (track and field, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball), we hear about their faith.

Before and during games, players such as the 1995 national champion UCLA basketball team kneel down or bow their heads and pray. In postgame interviews, stars such as 100-meter dash winner Gwen Torrence credit God for their victories and express their religious beliefs in a way that was unheard of a decade ago. Whether it is an outspoken Christian like Reggie White, or a devout Muslim like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, religious convictions are spilling over into competition. Faith in Sports tells the stories of the stars and gets to the heart of religious expression in sports. When did it become all the rage for athletes to express faith both in and out of the sports arena? And what about our society that tolerates and even encourages this? How has sport become America's religion?