With millions of Americans set to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, a new survey finds more than a quarter of Americans believe that God “plays a role in determining which team wins” at sports events.
The survey by the Public Religion Research Institute also found that more than half of Americans believe “God rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success.”
Asked if they believe God plays a role in who wins, 27% of Americans said yes. Poll results varied among regions and religions: 36% said yes in the South, 28% in the Midwest, 20% in the Northeast and 15% in the West.
Among nonwhite Christians and white evangelicals, 40% and 38% said yes, respectively; 29% of Catholics and 19% of white mainline Protestants also responded that God plays a role.
Perhaps the role God plays is that the believers take better care of themselves and have more self respect. That translates to better performance and better health.