At the end of August, 2015, I wrote a longish post (see also here) about the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s (FFRF’s) “Pray to Play” report, detailing the incursion of religion into 18 public universities via the establishment of “football chaplains.” These chaplains, 100% of whom are Christian, are hired to pray with the players and get them to play hard for Jesus. They’re also either paid by universities or get perks like game tickets or free travel. This is, of course, a violation of the First Amendment prohibiting excessive entanglement of government—of which public universities are representatives—and religion.
The pdf of the FFRF report is here, the two-page executive summary is here, and the press release is here.
In my earlier post, I showed two videos of the University of South Carolina’s football chaplain, Adrian Dupres, proselytizing—complete with uniformed football players—at a local church. Among the stuff he said was a vigorous defense of Biblical creationism. It’s pretty scary if you’re a secularist. Also, at the time, I wrote this:
Now I wonder if the Department of Biological Sciences at USC knows that their official football chaplain is preaching creationism at church, and probably also to his players as well. Perhaps I’ll let them know.
And I did let them know. I wrote to the chairman of Biology at USC and several faculty. I got the expected response: the department would probably discuss the issue at a faculty meeting. I never heard back beyond that, and I doubt that Biology could strongly affect what happens with the USC “Gamecocks” football team. After all, football is a big deal in universities like USC; biology, not so much.
Now, however, I’m gratified to report that the FFRF, at least, had an effect. According to The State, the local Columbia, South Carolina Newspaper, chaplain Despres has been fired:
South Carolina’s football team has parted ways with longtime team chaplain Adrian Despres.
“Adrian was not retained because Coach Muschamp’s philosophy is to have not just one voice, but multiple voices available to assist with the spiritual development of the student-athletes,” USC athletics spokesman Steve Fink said.
Coach Will Muschamp had spoken publicly about the move at a Rotary Club meeting in March. While discussing his faith, Muschamp said he prefers a multi-person approach.
“There’s no question being a Christian is very important to me,” Muschamp told the group. “That’s not something I push on our players. It’s something I make readily available for our players. We don’t have a team pastor. We have a group of people who will come talk to our players at different times. When you narrow things down with one person and they get sideways with a player or two or three or there’s a portion of the team, I think it creates a little bit of an issue.”
Well, the claims that there’s no “team pastor”, and no compulsory praying, look a bit disingenuous in light of the FFRF’s report, which shows these facts about the Gamecocks:
- Despres bragged that “100%” of players attend “voluntary” chapel.
- At South Carolina, Chaplain Adrian Despres is paid $4,500 for his “services”. Since 2010, he has been paid a total of $18,000.
- Despres’s official duties included: “Speak to Football Recruits and Families on Official and Unofficial Visits about Character Coach Program at South Carolina.”
- During the team meetings, Despres preached “a series called ‘Christian Man Laws’ this year [about] how Christian men should man up and stop being sissies for Christ.”
- Despres preached religious doctrines that conflict with scientific facts the university teaches to biology students, such as evolution. During that same sermon, Despres claimed to have debated—and despite an in-depth search, no such debates seem available—“some of the top evolutionists in the country on creation versus evolution and I’ve never, by God’s grace, I’ve never lost.”
Well, that’s two down (Virginia Tech stopped using team chaplains in light of the FFRF’s report) and 16 to go. It’s a never-ending battle to keep church and state apart in this land: a whack-a-mole type of endeavor.
Thanks to the FFRF, and to staff attorney Andrew Seidel, for their efforts in this area, and for letting me know the results.
The line about not ‘being sissies for Christ’ made me laugh, but I wonder what is meant by it. Maybe it ain’t so funny.
Apparently there a whole ministry/movement around this phrase:
Man Up Christian Ministries
It’s not clear what they have in mind by this, exactly. They are kind of vague.
I don’t associate obsequiousness to a deity with manliness. If you believe in God, then ask him to go out for a beer and a game of pool, don’t grovel in the dirt and tell him how wonderful he is. Geez.
Sack up for Jesus, dudes.
I wonder why football coaches think they have a right to be concerned about the spiritual development of the athletes? And what exactly is “spiritual development”? My guess is that it means a more thorough indoctrination.
As a subjective impression, I’d guess that football coaches are likely to be worse Christians than average.
Spiritual development is a magical process that occurs in barrels in Scotland (and perhaps a few other places). It clearly has a mystical component since the yield is reduced by the “angel’s share”
🙂
I suspect (or hope) part of what they mean by ‘spiritual’ is ‘moral’. And moral in the sense of being empathetic and considering one’s actions before doing (or not doing). Coaches do have the responsibility of acting as mature adults and showing the athletes that look up to them a good example.
However it sounds like Muschamp knows what he is doing (he may also be considering recruiting some non-Christian or non-evangelical players and having a team known to be 100% gung ho evangelical Christian won’t help).
Thank you FFRF for continuing the good fight and, in this school, winning (despite the “fibbing” of the coach.) MRFF (Military Religious Freedom Foundation)does the same for us in the military, which is even worse about insisting on religious indoctrination of
the military.
I wonder – does the MRFF work with the FFRF at all?
Attempting to get religion out of public schools and football programs is very similar to the military problems. I suppose the MRFF has to work through the UMCJ on some of the issues.
Sorry….UCMJ
Let’s pray the chaplain ban survives the Gamecocks’ first shutout loss to Clemson.
This will be reported in Christian circles as:
“Christianity banned from football.”
or
“Coach assistant fired for being a Christian.”
Just more evidence of how Christians are the most persecuted group in America, perhaps the world.
Yes, just more religious freedoms taken away – it’s blasphemy.
Nearly every single day, from W E I T posts, I learn the sense of a new word.
Today’s ? today’s is whack – a – mole !
the likes o’ which, used as it is in this context by PCC(E) in such an otherwise heartening post, I could guess upon — but had actually never before heard nor known !
What a darling this new – to – me one is ! I shall soooo enjoy employing it in future !
Blue
You must be unfamiliar with the Whack-A-Mole game seen at carnivals, fairs, and the odd arcade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whac-A-Mole
Hallelujah and Amen!
…and sub!
I love the work FFRF does to uphold the law. The sad part is it seems to be a never ending project.
I am less outraged by the idea of a football chaplain, than I am by the resources put into, and emphasis upon, intercollegiate sports in general in higher education. This is a huge industry which does nothing to advance the ostensible purpose of these educational institutions. In this case I would say faith is not the issue, football is.
Most heartily agreed! (And not just in the US of A).
Sports – at least, *some* sports – are now a branch of the megadollar entertainment industry. They’re not sportsmen, they’re paid entertainers, just as much as circus performers of old were, and gladiators before them. What any of it has to do with education is beyond me.
cr
My father always says that the “sports” section of a newspaper is just a continuation of “entertainment”. He thinks the same way of the “cars” section which appears every so often, since the cars discussed are mostly ridiculous.
I’m a car nut, but I would agree that professional motorsport is largely entertainment-driven. But then, educational insitutions don’t run racing teams.
(One exception: some technical colleges sometimes have their students build a small low-powered competition car or similar vehicle as an exercise. This is obviously On Topic for them).
cr
FFR-Fucking-F!
On a tee,
will make you see
Prayer is off!
Muschamp is not being disingenuous. He became head coach a couple months ago. The FFRF report was issued last August. He is talking about the changes he has instituted since taking over. The FFRF report is about the previous head coach.
I stand corrected if Muschamp really is expressing his own views. But it’s still possible that the FFRF’s pressure had some bearing on his decision.
I just wanted to take a moment and marvel at the job description: “Football chaplain”.
That should win a prize for the most useless job ever.
I never did understand that about sports at university. I mean, when my sports groups brought people back alive from trips down caves, and up mountains (and occasionally canoeing between islands), we’d get treated like scum (not even pond scum!), but when other groups brought back tin-plated cups for putting some spheroid into a net more often than other people, they’d get huge approbation (and more importantly, mini-buses that didn’t breakdown 300 miles from base).
Never did understand that. It’s a bit academic now, as the playing fields are being concreted over for a new road. But it’s still incomprehensible to me.
Some places seem to have almost the right attitude. There was celebration one year at CMU when their football team *actually won a game*. (Or something along that line.)
I’m glad that the caving club (where I was much more responsible for tackle and training then the larger mountaineering clubs) managed to keep both the mortality rate and fracture rate below either the football (soccer) or rugby (like US football, but without protective gear except a ball box and tooth shield) teams.