Where is progressive faith in sports? -- A conversation with the Revs. Kelsey Davis & Georgia McKee

Sports has always provided a platform for religious expression. We are used to hearing athletes thank God after a victory … which reminds me of the old George Carlin routine about how you never hear an athlete say “Jesus made me drop the ball” or “The good lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage.” And, particularly with the rise of Christian nationalism, conservative fundamentalism is becoming bolder and more evident in sports at every level. This summer, you might have heard of the controversies surrounding Pride Nights in San Francisco and other cities where conservative players wrote Bible verses on their pride hats in protest. Throughout this, you might have been wondering, as I have … where is the voice of progressive faith in the sports world and why does this seem like one more area where we have just ceded the ground. Well, today’s guests will give you hope on that score. Kelsey Davis and Georgia Mckee are an Episcopal priest and Baptist minister who together have founded Christian Athlete Circles, an organization to give the faith values of love, inclusion and justice a place in the sports world and to give athletes a faith community where it is safe to be who they are and who they are becoming. I recently sat down with Kelsey and Georgia and heard their story … which also opened my eyes to the deep need for this kind of presence and work. I know you will appreciate the conversation as much as I did.You can find our more at www.christianathletecircles.org