Survey: 27% Of Americans Believe God Helps Decide Who Wins Sporting Events..

[Upton]

Because it's Super Bowl time, everyone has to get in on the football. The Public Religion Research Institute conducted a survey earlier this month, and asked its random sample of 1,033 adults a bunch of questions about the NFL. Most of the responses aren't surprising or interesting (Lots of people watch football! Even more people watch the Super Bowl!), but two specific questions and results are worth highlighting.

Perhaps the most shocking is that 27 percent of those polled—more than a quarter—believe that "God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event." Watch a game with three of your buddies. Odds are that one of you wholeheartedly believes that God has a vested interest in the outcome of the game, and will influence it to get His way. This could really throw off Vegas's lines.

There's more. You know how athletes, in postgame interviews, often thank God? They believe God is specifically looking out for them and their health. A majority of Americans agree. According to the survey, 53 percent of respondents believe that "God rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success."

http://deadspin.com/5980273/survey-27-percent-of-americans-believe-god-helps-decide-who-wins-sporting-events

Some Americans actually believe there's some kind of higher power deciding who wins the Super Bowl. How weird..

[liberal N proud]

1. It says so in the bible

[RockaFowler]

2. Oy Vey!

I thought God gave us Free Will

Now he decides Football games

Then why didn't he stop the bad things from happening??

[Upton]

4. Why doesn't he stop bad things from happening?

You know the answer to that: "It's all part of God's plan"..

[bluedigger]

7. Maybe because there's no action on "bad things" in Vegas?

[Angry Dragon]

16. god is too busy picking players and games

[joeybee12]

3. Further proof a third of this country is criminally insane...

These 27% probably also deny climate change, equal rights for LGBT, and want Obama's real Kenyan birth certificate.

[Upton]

5. I'm sure that's true to an extent..

but look at this poll from 2011. 90% of Democrats and 85% of liberals believe in God. Of those, you can be sure there's a decent percentage that believe sporting events are either influenced or the outcome is preordained. Sometimes, no most of the time, I think the whole country is crazy..

[El Supremo]

8. Where are those 90% in the Sports Group?????

[madinmaryland]

15. The same deadenders who still supported Bush when he left office.

[bluedigger]

6. 27% of Americans stupid.

I think we all know who they are, right?

[KamaAina]

9. "God rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success."

So Junior Seau and Dave Duerson were apostates?!

Also, how could Jeremy Lin get hurt during last year's playoffs? How could St. Timmeh fail so utterly with the Jets?

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. ...and Mike Utley must have been pure Satan spawn.

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/19/sports/football-lions-player-is-paralyzed-after-his-neck-surgery.html

[sadbear]

10. God has favored San Francisco recently in baseball.

This is because Tim Lincecum is related to him. But other than that, I don't know his motivation for picking winners. Doesn't Kaepernick have a whole bunch of Jesus tattoos?

[Upton]

12. The Giants have won 2 in 3 years..

because they have a solid organization that has amassed the best and most consistent pitching staff in MLB..It's also why they'll continue to contend next year and well into the future.

[sadbear]

13. Yeah, they drafted God's second cousin and he likes them now.

[Scurrilous]

11. How could Notre Dame lose to Alabama?

God mustn't be Catholic.

[trumad]

14. That proves right there

That Timbo is a fake Christian. Otherwise... he'd be the next Unitas.

[bigwillq]

17. 27% of Americans are idiots (nt)

[TZ]

18. This probably is the same 27%

of people who approved of Dubya Bush by 2007. #idiots

[Jamaal510]

20. OK, I confess.

I prayed once when I was 10 years old that the Steelers would beat the Titans (Steelers are my #2 team after the Raiders BTW). It didn't work, as they lost 7-9 and got swept in the season series (this was during the AFC Central days). Ever since then, I never prayed over any games. I realized how pointless it is, and how the outcomes of a football game ultimately have no effect on my life.