One In Four Americans Believe God Decides The Outcome Of Sporting Events

One in four Americans reportedly believe God decides the outcome of sporting events. A poll has revealed that 53 percent of Americans believe that God awards athletes for their faith and 27 percent believe that God actually determines the outcome of events.

The poll, conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, surveyed 1,033 people. The polls were conducted randomly over the telephone.

The poll revealed that Democrats are more likely to believe that prayer can effect the outcome of a game. Only 25 percent of Republicans believe that God has influence over the final score. Interestingly, 76 percent of those participating in the survey believe that prayer should be allowed before high school sporting events.

As reported by NBC Sports, the results were varied geographically:

“More than one-third (36%) of Americans who live in the South agree that God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event, compared to nearly 3-in-10 (28%) Americans who live in the Midwest, 1-in-5 (20%) Americans who live in the Northeast, and 15% of Americans who live in the West.”

The poll, as reported by the Public Religion Research Institute, also included questions that did not involve religion. Other questions reveal that 78 percent of blacks, more than any other race, are likely to watch the Super Bowl this year.

The majority of those watching the Super Bowl will be men. Forty-two percent of Americans, who do not usually watch sports, will watch the Super Bowl.

Additionally, the survey revealed that football, not baseball, is America’s favorite sport:

“Nearly half (48%) of Americans who watch college or professional sports at least a few times a year say professional football is the sport they follow most closely, while around 1-in-10 say the same of college football (12%) or professional basketball (11%). Less than 1-in-10 report that they follow major league baseball (7%) or college basketball (6%) most closely.”

If the results of the survey are accurate and one in four Americans believe God decides the outcome of sporting events, a lot of people will be praying on February 2nd before the Ravens and the 48ers hit the field for Super Bowl XLVII.