GOD WILL GET AROUND TO ANNIE LAURIE GAYLOR.

For as long as I have been paying attention to politics, one Annie Laurie Gaylor has been the voice of something called the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a Madison-based organization that punches above its weight in policy matters, probably because its indefatigable press office issues the sort of statements that make Progressive readers and participants in the local public radio pledge drive comfortable with their priors.  Mostly, the organization comes to the attention of Normals during the Festive Season, when they object to the presence of a Nativity creche on public property, or mau-mau their preferred politicians into referring to holiday trees -- I'm looking right at you, Wisconsin governor Tony "Pencil Neck" Evers (D - Public Instruction).

They also have an axe to grind with college basketball, particularly as played by women.  Years ago, before there was a professional league, there was a touring team of recent college graduates fielded by Athletes in Action (the organization still exists, although the touring team seems to have been discontinued) that would play pre-conference or non-conference games with university teams, and offer halftime testimonials.  You can imagine how that went down with the local super-seculars.

Northern Illinois and Wisconsin coach Jane Albright used to schedule a tune-up game with Athletes, and at both universities, the foundation raised its objections, including an editorial in a Madison paper asking whether the coach wouldn't be better placed at some private college.

Now comes the much more visible women's basketball tournament, and the foundation have found a new coach to slag on.

After the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team beat Oregon State on Easter Sunday to secure their fourth straight trip to the Final Four and continue their undefeated season, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley gave an on-court interview to ESPN’s Holly Rowe while her players showered her with confetti. “If you don’t believe in God,” Staley said, “something’s wrong with you.”

Later, in the post-game press conference, she added, “He is Risen.” By “He,” Staley meant “Jesus Christ,” the God she has credited throughout the years for her team’s many successes. But there was something about her statements this time that seemed to hit a different chord, particularly Staley’s phrasing that there was “something wrong” with people who don’t believe in a higher power of some kind, though in Black American vernacular that phrase is often not used literally.

It’s not uncommon to hear athletes or coaches thank God after winning a game or a championship. But as an employee of a public educational institution, there is a fine line between a coach expressing their personal religious beliefs and venturing into advocacy and violating students’ First Amendment rights. Staley has toed that line for years—and, according to some people, has blatantly crossed it.

“She may have coaching skills that are exceptional, but her understanding of freedom of conscience is exceptionally bad. Her understanding of the law is exceptionally bad,” Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), tells The Daily Beast. “She appears to have no boundaries when it comes to pushing religion on a captive audience of students dying to please her.”

Considering all the other controversies Dawn Staley either blunders into or gets caught up in, the complaints of a strong secularist of long standing seem small beer.  Moreover, there are teams within the sport that are known as "Jesus teams," and if recruits of talent self-select to play on such teams, that's the way the ball bounces, isn't it?

Her personal religious views are not an issue, of course—however, they may begin to become one when applied to her coaching duties at a public university. Staley has team meals before each game, which include a “Gameday Devotional” that she also posts to social media. The devotionals feature a photo of the team, the name of their opponent, and a Bible verse. During this year’s March Madness tournament, those have included Psalm 143:8 (“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life”) and Jeremiah 31:3 (“I have loved you with an everlasting love”). On the back of the papers is an inspirational quote from a University of South Carolina WBB alum and, in the corner, one more thing: “Jesus vs [opponent],” with “Jesus” being her team.

Religious freedom is a constitutionally protected right, and South Carolina is a secular public institution. Not only does Staley preach during team meals, she literally calls her team “Jesus,” implying that their play is doing the will of Jesus Christ. By stating publicly that there is “something wrong with you” if you don’t believe in God, she could be seen as passing judgment on the religious views of other people.

I doubt she's calling her team Jesus; there's enough material in the New Testament to come up with a "Verily I say unto you ..." that sums up the opponent's style of play, or maybe some bulletin board material that can be captured in a parable.

But then, theology is not the seculars' strong point.  I keep reading the article, and behold!

Christianity is a powerful force in American culture and it’s worth asking whether Staley’s behavior would have been allowed to continue as long as it has if it didn’t align with the dominant religion in this country. If a college head coach was sitting their team down for pre-game meals and citing text from the Quran or the Torah, or crediting Allah for their team’s tournament success, would it be met with the same collective shrug?

An observant Moslem as a head coach?  Wouldn't the Student Affairs types be sounding off about how "historic" such an appointment would be?  I mean, a couple paragraphs on there's a story of two players wearing their headscarves on the court.  From there comes the logic-chopping.

Directly attributing her program’s success—and, by extension, her players’—to divine intervention is where experts say it starts to feel problematic. Not only does it rob Staley’s own coaching and the players’ performances of the credit it deserves, it implies that the players are part of some higher calling they didn’t necessarily consent to being implicated in.

“It takes away the glory from the players and their talents and skills,” says Gaylor. “And it makes it seem like the other team is disfavored by this omnipotent deity.” Believing that God cares whether you win a basketball game is “the ultimate chutzpah by people pretending to be humble,” she says.

The public narrative around Staley’s coaching has long been that her athletes chose to play for her. But the reason her rhetoric may be considered “coercive” is because players, especially as young people, are much more likely to grin and bear it even if the proselytizing makes them uncomfortable. As Line, the FFRF attorney, wrote to the university president, a promising young athlete may be willing to ignore it in order to play for and learn from Staley, who is one of the best to ever do it.

Yes, and as an adult, perhaps to write a tell-all, the same way former athletes feeling hard done by have often done.  How is that any different from studying philosophy with a Talmud scholar or a Jesuit whilst keeping a distance from the theology?

This post has run somewhat long; let me wrap it up with the Red State coverage of the end of the women's tournament.  "South Carolina Coach Staley Makes Classy Remarks About Iowa, Caitlin Clark After National Title Win."  Iowa's Caitlin Clark, brought up in the Catholic tradition, responds in a similarly respectful way.  Finally, let us beware of false prophets, in this instance the ever-amusing Nancy Armour.  "Caitlin Clark, Iowa shouldn't be able to beat South Carolina. But they will."

Sorry, no.  This old Mayflower descendant subscribes to a bit of American Protestant thinking.

 

God Helps Thofe who Help Themfelves.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, peace be upon her, will go to find out for herself.