The part you refuse to acknowledge is that asking the question would be an asshole move. Asking that question does nothing to improve the interview, further the employer’s interests, or otherwise provide any benefit to anyone not looking to go “neener-neener” to Christians. It reflects poorly on all atheists, in the same way that Fred Phelps protesting at funerals reflects poorly on Christians. It would be rude, obnoxious, insensitive, and a damn stupid thing to do.
No it’s a reasonable question in reponse to an extraordinary claim made by the player.
Any kindof answer that explains how supernatural forces affected the physics of a ballgame. How am I supposed to know how he can answer that? It was his claim, not mine. If he doesn’t want to be questioned about it, he shouldn’t make the laim in first place.
The answer to the question of how supernatural forces affected the physics of the game. Nothing more. If a player doesn’t want to explain that, then he shouldn’t make the statement in the first place.
How is it mocking of Christians to simply ask them what they believe?
… because what they believe is silly and it makes them look bad to examine it too closely? That’s the issue here, which makes the fact that it would be a big slap in the face even sillier.
SILLY SILLY SILLY!
YOU think it is a nonsensical claim because you (apparently) don’t believe in God. The sideline (or bullpen, or locker room) is not the place for a theological debate on the existence of God. Your result will be to either embarrass the player (if he or she is not literate enough to properly expound upon his faith), or to trigger a sermon (which you were not asking for in the first place).
When I took journalism classes (and worked as stringer for a VERY short period of time), I was taught not only to have questions to ask but to also anticipate the answers and follow-up questions that they might trigger. What answer are you hoping for, and what will be your follow-up question. Finally, are there enough people watching the game who want this question asked?
You do that in an “Ask the Christian” thread or other appropriate venue. Not on national television after a football game. The reporter is not there to pick a fight, embarrass the athlete, piss off the audience, risk his job, alienate sponsors, or further a militant atheist agenda.
From the OP:
Possible responses:
“I felt God’s presence”
“I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and through that he is with me at all times.”
“I can not take all credit, when I would not be who I am today without God’s influence.”
“As you know, it is called Faith for a reason. This is not something that can be measured in a laboratory. I am sad that your life is without faith, and I would like to give you this pamphlet and invite you to our NFL Bible study group.”
or you might just get some fumble mouth going, the player feels like an idiot and his teammates refuse to talk to you. Of course, by next week every player is ready with a canned answer to this sort of question that they have rehearsed with their religious leader.
Isn’t it interesting though, to simply ask “ok, so this is your belief - could you explain it a little bit?” is a question that would cause anger and outrage and embarssment?
That was not how the OP wrote it, nor is how the **Dio **and others have portrayed their desired line of questioning. They seem to want a proof of God’s existence, not an explanation of a player’s beliefs and how they intersect with a game.
I think “I think God’s holy spirit infused the ball to change the trajectory slightly so that it landed in the right spot” would answer the spirit of Dio’s question. It assumes God’s existance.
Exactly. I think that “How as your relationship with God/Jesus/Mohammad/Other Religious Figure helped you in your athletic career?” is a fair question, when asked in a respectful manner. But trying to play “Gotcha!” with sports stars over their religious beliefs is in no way a fair or reasonable question, it’s not in the public interest, and it’s an asshole thing to do that would ruin the reporter’s career and make them the centre of a media circus and negative unwanted public attention.
I said the claim was extraordinary, not nonsensical, and it’s not the belief in god that I call extraordinary, but theclaim that supernatural forces affected the physics of a ballgame.
I’m not asking for a debate or trying to engage in one. I’m asking them to explain an extraordinary claim.
This is completely incorrect. I’ve said over and over again that I’m only saying it would be fair to ask them how they think supernatural forces affected the physics of a ballgame.
I don’t have the slightest interest in the answer to that question. I just want them to explain how they think supernatural forces affected the material mass and physics of a ballgame. I don’t give a rat’s ass about how their faith has affected their life. There is nothing in the world less interesting to listen to.
It’s not “gotcha.” It’s just asking them to explain a specific claim made about the game.
And most of the respondents have said that’s not a fair question, for reasons you seem to keep ignoring or disregarding.
I haven’t disregarded any of them, I’ve refuted them as essentially unresponsive. A question is not rendered unfair or unreasonable by the possibility that someone is going to have an unreasonable response to it. Nobody made them say that supernatural forces affected the game, so they have no moral or rational reason to get upset when asked for details.
Have you ever seen an athlete make such a “specific claim”? If so, please share.
While I’ve seen plenty of athletes credit God / Jesus with their general athletic ability / general success, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen one make a specific claim along the lines of “I caught that pass with God’s help.” I’d be happy to be proven incorrect on this.
But a question is rendered unfair or unreasonable when it will embarrass both parties, and probably cost the journalist their job, all in aid of an “answer” everyone knows to a “question” no-one really cares about (except you, it seems.)
A journalistic question is poorly chosen if the interviewee cuts you off. Smart journalists don’t piss off the people they are interviewing until the end of the interview, with the knowledge that they probably won’t get a follow-up Q&A opportunity. I might not use unreasonable or unfair, rather I would go with stupid, asinine or needlessly combative given the environment. I would also argue that it is a CLM (Career Limiting Move).
The usual faith expressions I hear is thanking God for talent, skill, ability. I don’t recall off the top of my head comments about physics being distorted by God in favor of the victorious team. However, if a player claimed that God was helping when he made the 70 yard field goal (as an example), and you asked HOW did God help - then at most the player will probably answer something along the lines of “I don’t know, but I don’t know how else I could make that shot. It was one in a million, and God must have been with me.”
So - have you accomplished anything as a journalist? More likely, you open yourself up to further proselytizing by the the player (which you have already stated you are not interested in).
I’ve seen it plenty, going all the way back to when Dwight Clark said that God made him jump higher to catch the famous pass from Joe Montana to get the Niners to first Superbowl.
Kurt Warner said that Trent Green breaking his knee was God “giving me a chance” to start in St. Louis (Jesus is Jeff Gillooly).
Any number of players point at the sky after hitting homeruns or scoring touchdowns to indicate that Jesus had something to do with it.
I saw an HBO special once about hardcore evangelicals in NFL lockerrooms in which several players were interviewed and made specifical, physical claims about supernatural intervention in football games, including an insistence that God had actually moved a football in midair to cause another team to miss an attempt at a game winning field goal.
They also said flat out that they pray for wins, and that they think God decides whether they will win or not.
So let me ask you, if a player say “God made that football go wide,” is it fair to ask any follow up questions to that?
If a player says “God gave us a win,” is it fair to ask exactly what God did?
It’s the player’s initial claim which embarrasses him.