When it comes to football, God passes

He doesn't care, not about football anyway.

Although athletes have long called upon him by name (in vain and otherwise), God doesn't care who wins or loses sporting events.

Not baseball. Not basketball. Not golf, tennis, volleyball, hockey, soccer or badminton. 

Not football.

Look, I understand that the concept of God -- of religion -- is a touchy subject. Some believe, some don't. Those who do often want to covert those who don't; and those who don't often want to expose those who do.

Personally, I do. I'm a believer.

But I don't believe God much cares who wins or loses ballgames. He's got better things to do.

The notion of God and football has been on my mind of late, largely because of the recent BYU-Utah rivalry game, known also as the Holy War.

First things first. That's a really stupid name, the Holy War. It's lame, it's trite and it's borderline offensive.

For those who aren't familiar with it, the Utah-BYU rivalry is unique because the majority of the participants (and by "participants" I mean "fans") share the same beliefs. They're mostly Mormons (aka members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). 

Brigham Young University is an LDS-owned institution. 

The University of Utah, founded by Brigham Young himself, is a state school located about 40 minutes to the north of BYU.

So, what we have here is a bunch of Utah-based Mormons on either side of the rivalry, which I suppose is where the "holy" part of "Holy War" comes from. Generally though, "Holy War" implies that one side is holy and/or religious and the other isn't. 

Late LDS Apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin is seen meeting with members of the Utah football team under the direction of former head coach Urban Meyer. Elder Wirthlin played football at the U of U in the 1930s. His love of the University of Utah was well know to most Mormons.

That, to me, is not only wrong, it's offensive because it plays into the hands of weirdos on either side. It gives credence to the hardliners on the BYU side who believe faithful Mormons can't support the U of U. At the same time it fuels the "us against them" mentality of non-Mormons on the other side who gravitate to the Utes largely because they're fed up with suppressive Mormons.

Granted, I've painted with some rather broad brushstrokes. But the characterizations aren't too far off, at least when it comes to the extremists on either side.

This Holy War nonsense bothers me almost as much as the idea that God actually has a rooting interest in the game. 

He doesn't. 

As a Mormon myself, I take issue with my brethren who want to mix football and religion. One such brother is BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. 

While I've got great respect for Bronco as a person and as a Mormon, I don't particularly like the way he's tried to equate BYU's high moral standards with success on the football field. The way I see it, church is church; football is football.
Religious people can/do play the game. But the same is true of non-religious people. Sorry, but the God I believe in doesn't love one child more than the other. Good parents don't do that, why should God?
Moral standards are great, they're important. I wish more people would embrace them. But I'm not ready to buy into the idea God wants the Cougars to win because they somehow uphold a higher standard. 

See, there are good Mormon boys on the Utah side, too. What about them? God want sthem to lose because they're not wearing the right uniform? That's silly. 

Understand, I'm not saying all Mormons/BYU fans believe that way. I'm simply saying I've got a problem with the ones who do. 

Those who would link their faith to their football team are setting themselves up for a terrible disappointment. Eventually, the inevitable will occur and when it does, what next? Will a loss really shake your religious conviction? 

If so, it's probably time to re-examine a few things.

When it comes to the BYU-Utah rivalry, by all means, support your side. Wear red. Wear blue. Cheer wildly.
Drink caffinated soda ... or don't.

But bear in mind, God doesn't care who wins and who loses.
He's got more important things to do.