Inside Preps: When Faith Comes Into Play
Thu. January 12, 2012 at 3:54 a.m. | By Solange Reyner
I got an interesting request last month via e-mail.
"I would appreciate it if you could include Christ in my article."
It was from Lakeland Christian senior Mark Mutz, our Cross Country runner of the year.
"He is why I run," he said.
Was it an odd request? Yes.
Was I uncomfortable doing it? No.
Mutz's faith is important to him, and there's no problem with that.
As a journalist, where do you draw the line on mentioning religion, though, especially in articles relating to sports?
When is it important to the story, and when does it become cliche?
It's an interesting time to talk about it because of the infatuation the media seem to have with Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
Media outlets place a ginormous amount of focus on Tebow's religion, and it's partly because of his publicly pious displays.
He thanks God before all of his interviews, he constantly references the John 3:16 bible verse and he kneels down for prayer during games.
A testament to the impact of the latter ritual can be seen on www.tebowing.com.
But back to the question at hand: If an athlete is so intent on mentioning God every time he or she speaks with the media, should journalists, too, mention it every time?
That's something I was faced with a few times this season regarding the coverage on Mutz.
Mutz always made it a point to mention God after every race.
Did I put a quote about it in the paper every time?
No because I didn't think it was important to the story every single time.
But Mutz made it a point to ask me to do it for our feature article, so I did.
And honestly, it was refreshing for someone so young to be so vocal about his wishes.
It was the way he approached it, too.
"I know that it is uncommon to write about that but I would appreciate it," he said.
So who am I to deny his wishes?
Will I do it every time an athlete says, "I thank God for this win."
No, because I don't think God helped the other team lose.
There's a healthy argument to be had about it, I guess, and I'm open to discussing it, but that's my feeling on it right now.
In reporting sports I always find there's something behind an athlete's drive.
For me, it was always trying to outdo my sisters.
Mutz looks to his faith, and he's open about it.
Before races this season, he approached other runners and invited them to pray with him.
Some gave him an awkward look, kind of like the one Kramer often gave Jerry in all those wonderful Seinfeld episodes. He didn't care.
"I don't try to push it on anyone. But it is important to me that God is glorified through my running," he said.
And that's OK, even if it irks some people.
