When George Lilja, a former NFL player, spoke to campus religious group Athletes in Action on Thursday, he described religion as “a lamp upon your feet and a light upon your path,” a reference to Psalm 119:105.
Despite balancing strenuous schedules, every Thursday night, more than 30 student-athletes gather in Grover Center to reflect on their sport, faith and how the two intertwine.
Lilja, whose daughter Bethany Lilja is a photographer for The Post, likened the verse to the enlightenment that can be drawn from religion, and how beliefs can be a starting point for decision-making when dealing with daily routines.
Although some choose to keep their athletics and religious views separate, many student-athletes find a haven in student organizations such as Athletes in Action — one of the most prominent national groups for religious athletes on campus.
Maggie Murnane, a junior midfielder for Ohio’s women’s soccer team who studies exercise physiology, said faith helps to balance the stress in life.
“God always has a plan for you,” she said. “You’re always playing for Him, first of all, because he is the one who gave you the talents to pursue your goal and to work hard.”
Murnane, a member of Athletes in Action, said she likes to send Bible verses via text to her teammates prior to their games.
“They’re comfortable with me talking about it,” she said. “They’ll text me back saying, ‘I love it,’ ‘Keep it coming,’ and stuff like that.”
For some other athletes, the message might not come in on their phone, but it doesn’t vary much from Murnane’s method of delivery. Jordan Thompson, a redshirt senior tight end on Ohio’s football team, is not only a leader on the gridiron for the Bobcats, where he serves as a team captain, but also rallies the troops when it comes to religious beliefs.
He plays a part in organizing a postgame prayer where competing teams come together to take a knee and a step back from the rigors of a hard-fought game.
“Every play, you’re trying to beat the guy across from you, but that’s a moment at the end of the game — no matter who wins or loses — that we can all come together as human beings and all love another as brother and sister in Christ,” he said.
Each of Ohio’s varsity teams holds a weekly Bible study, and interested members of the football teams also gather the night before games for a chapel service held by Athletes in Action Director Mark Heflin, who travels with the team as its chaplain.
Thompson said there aren’t any members of Ohio’s football team who are opposed to openly expressing religion, but there is not a lot of religious variance in the Bobcats’ locker room.
Ohio’s club cricket team is more of a melting pot than the football squad, as it comprises students with religious beliefs ranging from Christianity to Hinduism.
Manindra Singh, a doctoral student studying biological sciences and cultural director of the Indian Students Association, said players’ heritages range from Sri Lanka and India to Afghanistan.
He said he didn’t feel religious backgrounds play a role on the playing field and that faith doesn’t impact players’ performance.
“People from different cultures feel winning is the same and pain of defeat is the same no matter where they come from,” he said. “The faith of the game shows itself.”
Andrew Exler, a senior studying sports management and defender on Ohio’s club lacrosse team, echoed a similar sentiment, saying he tends to keep his religion and athletics separate. Exler, a member of Hillel and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity on campus, said that he is part of athletics’ “one percent,” which consists of Jewish players.
“I try to keep religion and sports separate,” he said. “We had Yom Kippur services (two weeks ago), and I went to service and then practice right after. Any priorities I have religion-wise I do and focus on them.”
He was quick to say, though, that his religion doesn’t conflict with athletics, and vice versa. Both hold a mutually exclusive importance in his mind.
Exler participated in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which called for a 24-hour fast to begin at sunset Sept. 25 and ended at sunset Sept. 26.
“The fast starts after the (evening) service, but since I went to practice right after, I got home and ate dinner and then started the fast,” Exler said. “I still went 24 hours. Being Jewish is really important to me.”
Although Exler doesn’t actively speak about his faith on the field, he silently shows his faith through symbolism. He always wears a chai, the Hebrew symbol for life, around his neck. He also dedicated his lacrosse season to his grandmother, who died last month, by adding her initials to his helmet.
Denominations aside, most athletes of faith agree on one thing: Believing in something is the most important thing.
Lilja said that, though high-profile athletes receive a lot of publicity because of their beliefs, it’s not about what they believe in, but the fact that they practice more than just on the playing field.
“If you don’t stand for something in life, you’ll fall for anything,” he said.
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