So this past week we took a look at
religion and social change. One of the things that caught my attention we read
by Yamane was religiosity and sports. Though a good portion of that part of the
article was cut off (which was a shame by the way Prof Barry) it intrigued me nonetheless.
The first person who pops into my mind (and probably most peoples) is Tim
Tebow, a white, male football player for the Denver Broncos. He became highly
beloved by many people when we began to have a prayer after getting a
touchdown. He was praised by Christians around the nation, and people respected
his love and dedication to his devotion to live a God filled life. So, there
was a win for Christians everywhere. Now let’s take a look at the opposite end
of the spectrum.
Husain Abdullah, a black, male
footballer who players for the Kansas City Chiefs was penalized for saying a
Muslim prayer called a Sajdah. He got to his knees in celebration of getting a
touchdown and was so thankful he said a prayer in gratitude. But unlike Tim
Tebow, he was not acknowledged as a religious phenomenon or someone to look up
to. He was penalized, and luckily thanks to a social media uproar, his record
was fixed. But amazing how much privilege was extended to Tim Tebow versus
Husain Abdullah? It’s both disgusting and frightening how differently they were
treated. Amazing how one religion is found to be more socially acceptable. People can say this was a legitimate penalty all they want, but if they choose to ignore the discrimination involved in the decision process, then shame on them.
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