Despite its explicit Catholic attributes, N.H.L. players are not known for wearing religion on their sleeves the way players do in other sports leagues, like the National Football League or the National Basketball Association.
Sports
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
How Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean prays—on and off the court
A conversation with the celebrity sister of college basketball
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Why boxing was the most Catholic sport for almost 100 years
As late as the 1970s, boxing saturated U.S. Catholic culture. It reinforced Catholic ideas about the redemptive value of physical suffering; it also offered a powerful form of assimilation to male Catholic immigrants.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
The big money behind March Madness
Watching the N.C.A.A. annual college basketball tournament has become a tradition for many Catholics. March Madness is also a huge moneymaker for everyone except the players.
Posted inFaith, Of Many Things
When Father Malone is away, guest columnist James T. Keane will play ball.
Matt Malone, S.J., is traveling abroad. But I also suspect he let me be the pinch-hitter for this column in America’s special sports issue out of pity.
Posted inArts & Culture, Your Take
Do you believe that sports build character?
When asked if sports build character, 75 percent of respondents said yes and 25 percent said no.
Posted inFaith, Last Take
What running taught the ‘Iron Nun’ about aging
As I approach 90, I am less concerned with outward appearances—things like what I wear, how my hair looks, what others think of me—and more concerned with my inner life and how I relate to the world around me.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: The Boston Celtics’ glory and shame
Gary Pomerantz’s detailed exploration of Bob Cousy’s career touches on the heroic moments and the bitter failures of the Boston Celtics, including a shameful history of racial prejudice.
Posted inFaith, Ideas
Should a Catholic priest be fighting in a boxing tournament?
Many people object to anyone, much less a Catholic priest, engaging in what they see as recreational violence.
Posted inArts & Culture, Culture
How do nuns watch the Super Bowl? A look at #SuperBowlintheConvent
If your eyes drifted from the television seeking entertainment elsewhere (who could blame you?), you might have stumbled upon the most entertaining hashtag of the night: #SuperBowlintheConvent.