SEC fan balances faith and football in new book

Admit it, Gator fans. When your team looked like it would rack up a "W" in the game against Louisiana State University last week, you slipped in a little prayer in those final crucial seconds.

Dear God, don't let them score.

And when LSU pulled off the seemingly impossible by scoring the winning touchdown, you may just have cursed the powers that be.

Chad Gibbs understands your pain. He's lived and died with his beloved Auburn Tigers season after season. His alma mater has won only one national championship, and that was in 1957, long before he was born.

Gibbs is a man of Christian faith who loves God and wants to serve him. But a few years ago, he started to question his feelings and reactions during college football games. Why do I seem to worship this team? Why do my moods depend entirely on whether we win or lose? Why do I measure my self-worth on the performance of the team?

And most important: Why do I sulk through church on Sunday morning if my team lost the day before? In search of an answer, Gibbs embarked on a mission for the 2009 football season: to find Christian fans throughout the Southeastern Conference. The SEC's 12 schools arguably produce some of the most passionate followers in the nation, drawing some half-million fans to spring practice games. Yes, that's right. Practice games. As for the real games, 6 million fans are expected to cheer from the stands this year. Tens of millions more will tune in on their television sets.

Gibbs' study of fans watching those games resulted in a very funny book, "God & Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC" (Zondervan; $12.99), published in August. Over 12 weeks, he attended games involving an SEC team, sitting with fans from campus ministries or local churches. He wanted to see how they balanced their faith and fanaticism, but he also had another less noble pursuit.

"I think I also wanted to find people even worse than I was, so I would feel better about my own behavior," he says with a laugh. "And I learned there are plenty."

He knew he was conducting his research in faith-rich territory. According to a 2004 Gallup poll on religious affiliation, in eight of the nine states with SEC teams, more than 86 percent of the people consider themselves Christian.

Among his findings: The most fanatical fans are from LSU. UF's Swamp is the noisiest place to play, and especially painful for the visiting team. God really doesn't have a favorite team, although Notre Dame fans might disagree.

Raised as a Southern Baptist, Gibbs sat with fans from different denominations to gain different perspectives. It's no surprise that prayer is common among all believers. When asked if they prayed for wins, the answer fell in four categories.

No, I don't pray. God has more important things to do.

Yes, I do pray that no one suffers any injuries.

Yes, I pray for my team to play to the best of its ability ("That's just another way of saying that you're praying for a win," Gibbs says.)Yes, I pray for my team to win all the time. ("This is probably the most honest answer.")Some pastors in college towns are understandably distraught that football games inspire more devotion and energy than the authentic religious experience. The Rev. J.W. Arnold expressed that in so many words at his Pentecostal church in Gainesville the day after the Gators beat the Arkansas Razorbacks on Oct. 17. He told his congregants that God doesn't mind you going to The Swamp for the Saturday ritual. But don't cheat him of his due the next day. Arnold says it's important to be just as loud in church as you are at the stadium. If you can give the Gators four hours, "then give me at least four hours on Sunday." And if you can pay $50 for a ticket, you can certainly put that much in the collection basket.

"You have to admit, that was all pretty sound advice," Gibbs says.

Although he never had a "click" moment where he felt he was cured of his over-the-top devotion, Gibbs says he has learned to put things in perspective. He makes a conscious effort not to let the outcome control his moods. He more readily accepts that he alone really has no control over the event - that ultimately, God is in control of everything. That's not to say his fanaticism has been tempered. He and his wife, a pediatrician, recently moved from Birmingham, Ala., to - surprise! - Auburn. They live less than a mile from the stadium, where they attend every home game. His next writing project: A book on intense sports rivalries. For basketball, think Duke University and North Carolina, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. In baseball, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Make that the New York Yankees and any team that has to go up against them.

Gibbs notes that since the book came out last month, Auburn hasn't lost a game. But he's being very careful to not treat that as a divine sign.