Curious that talented athletes frequently credit God when they win, but we rarely see them blame God when they lose.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, on X 2/10/2025
Based on comments from winning players, it’s remarkable how much time God spends to help athletes defeat their opponents.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, on X 10/18/2013
In the first quote above, Dr. Tyson was reacting to interviews with the winning team after Super Bowl LIX. But, as you can tell from the second quote, he has had the same attitude for over a decade. While these statements come across as simply trolling to be snarky and hateful, they do give me the opportunity to explain more about a Christian’s relationship with God.
First, here are the quotes that set Dr. Tyson off on the most recent post:
God is good. He’s greater than all the highs and the lows.
Jalen Hurts, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, after Super Bowl win
God’s blessed us very much… He gave us all the talents to be able to get here, so first and foremost, thanks to Him. … Thank God, thank you Jesus.
Nick Sirianni, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, after Super Bowl win
And here is one that he chose to ignore:
I let y’all down today. I’ll always continue to work and try and learn and be better for it. Want to give thanks to God for every opportunity he has given me.
Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, after Super Bowl loss
In the quotes above, Dr. Tyson appears to be expressing the idea that God is not there, and the athletes are imagining a fantasy or making up a lie. I will try to discuss his objections in a way that interprets the athletes’ statements from a Christian perspective instead.
So, why do we praise God for victories? Why don’t we blame Him for defeats?
God is Good
First and foremost, we praise because He is God and we are not. He is under no obligation to us. Anything He chooses to give is pure grace, un-merited favor. Anything He withholds, or anything unpleasant that He allows — or even causes — to come our way is completely within His prerogative. That would be true even if He were acting out of malice instead of love. Simply put, this entire universe, including us, is His to do with as He pleases.
This may seem like I’m saying that God — if He exists at all — is too high and mighty to give any thought to us. In any case, the athletes who praise Him are just imagining things. They should take all the credit themselves, maybe sharing with teammates but never acknowledging that any Higher Power had anything to do with their success.
But “No”, that is NOT what I am saying. I’m saying that God — Who definitely does exist and has given ample evidence of that fact — is so high and mighty that He has the right to ignore us…but He doesn’t!
God is a Good Father
Second, we praise because ours is a living, active relationship with a loving Father. When a father gives his child a gift, the child (hopefully) expresses gratitude. When the father tells the child “No dessert unless you eat your vegetables first”, the child (again, hopefully!) obeys out of respect for authority. Whether a pleasant gift or an unpleasant duty, the child knows that the father is acting in their best interest.
When athletes don’t take all the credit themselves, instead thanking God for His gracious gifts, they are acting like well-behaved children. They know that their Daddy loves them and has gone out of His way to give them something nice. They humbly realize that they aren’t the cause of their innate talent at their sport, or their opportunities to develop skills, or their determination to work and train hard. Those things come to them from outside themselves. They don’t come to very many people, especially at the Super Bowl level, and the athletes recognize and appreciate their blessings.
When athletes don’t pitch a fit, blaming God and everyone else for a loss, they are again acting like well-behaved children. They aren’t pouting because they didn’t get a lollipop, or because they have to share their toys. They know that their Daddy loves them even when He doesn’t always let them have their own way.
God is a Good Savior
Third, we praise whether in good times or in bad because of what God has already done for us. He walked not just a mile but an entire lifetime in our shoes. He stooped down to our level so that we could really have intimate two-way communication with Him. He knew that we had dug a hole for ourselves that we couldn’t escape on our own. So He came to get us out.
Jesus died so that I could live. He healed the breach so that I could run to Daddy and be welcomed into His arms. He defeated Death so that I can live with Him forever. I have no reason to then turn around and ask Him “What have You done for me lately?”
There’s a song “Enough for Me” with lyrics that include:
If He never ever did another thing for me
I’d be forever thanking Him for Calvary
He lived and He died and He rose in three
Hallelujah that will always be enough for me
God is Good, Even to His Enemies
Dr. Tyson is not alone in thinking that Christians try to manipulate God into being on our side, or use selective focus to make it appear that He is. Like many people, he just doesn’t understand how big and special our God really is. Even though, as an astrophysicist, he studies the immense cosmos, he spiritually lives in a small, sad world where everything is shrunk down to human size.
Dr. Tyson, like all of us, is infinitely valuable to God. He — and those who share his small world — are lovingly invited to look up, see the scope of love and grace available, and accept the gift that is offered to “whosoever will” 1 receive it.
Note: A couple of similar articles on this site are “God’s Way” and “God is Great, God is Good“.
Footnotes and Scripture References
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
