You Gotta Believe! Faith on the Field of Play

[MUSIC PLAYING] Hi. My name is Lisa Swan. I’m from Staten Island, New York. I’m a baseball blogger. And I write about the Yankees and the Mets in my blog, SubwaySquawkers.com. But I never thought I’d actually get to be an athlete myself. 

Last year, I got to do a Spartan race at Citi Field. And I got to feel what it was like to do athletic activities instead of just writing about them. 

My faith played a big part in not just deciding to do the Spartan race, but getting through the Spartan race. It occurred to me that the Lord had wanted something more for me in life, that instead of just sitting around and watching baseball and being on the couch, I really needed to get out and enjoy life and do something athletic. 

Not only are a lot of baseball fans motivated by faith, but so are players. For example, Mariano Rivera, at one point when he was in his early years as a Yankee, he actually thought about leaving baseball to go be a missionary. But instead, he stayed with the team and became the greatest closer of all time. 

A few years ago when he got hurt before a game, it was one of these things that united baseball fans, in a way. Because no matter what team you rooted for, people said prayers for him to get better. I know I did. And even my blogging partner, John, who is a Mets fan, he prayed a little for Mariano to get better, as well. 

And Mo came back the next year and had a great season and had a wonderful last farewell for his retirement. 

You can rely on your faith to get through things, whether it’s a really bad loss or an injury, that for a player you pray for them. But the reality is, is that there’s only so much control you can expect. 

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