Pastor's Message - July 2025

As the New York Times recently noted, it is getting harder (and more expensive) to be a sports fan in America. Athletes and their agents, teams and leagues seem locked into a suicidal inflationary spiral. As they chase the dollar, they spin off broadcasts to more and more premium channels. I haven't been able to watch the Yankees since I got to Elmira. Their YES Network is not available on streaming live television platforms like Hulu, their app is expensive and does not work on my hardware, Xbox X, and on the rare occasions they are broadcast on a regular network, odds are it will be blacked out. Because I'm going to just pop over to the stadium for a game, right?

We've already seen the NFL move games to inaccessible platforms. The FIFA Club World Cup, an international competition between professional soccer teams, is being played in the United States as you read this, but you can only see a handful of games unless you're willing to pay $30 a month for DAZN. Who has even heard of that network?

I do still get Amazon Prime, despite my disgust with Jeff Bezos, so I was able to watch the Nascar race from Pocono recently. But the race was in a weather delay, so drivers were coming up to the booth for filler interviews, including my favorite driver, Joey Logano.

I've been pulling for Joey for years, since my mother and late father were cheering for the other two drivers at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). Joey switched teams and found success, winning his third championship this past November.

I like the sport, but I like most sports. Heck, I even like cricket! That doesn't mean I don't have qualms about corruption and greed at every level. And Nascar has a particularly toxic association with white Christian nationalism. (Have I mentioned how much I despise that corruption of the gospel?) In fact, the team where Joey Logano found success is owned by Roger Penske, a major Trump donor. The top sponsor, the logo on the hood of the car and the fire suit, is Pennzoil. So let's just add a little petro-trafficking to the fire!

But it was during that rain delay at Pocono that I spied a little '47 on the side of Joey's cap. I was infuriated. It is bad enough that I know the team owner supports Trump, but do they have to tell me flat-out that my support is unwelcome? I was ready to write an outraged letter, because that would make all the difference! That billionaire would change his political leanings once I made it clear that I was angry.

It would be hours before I remembered that '47 is a brand that makes team apparel. Has been for years. Nothing to do with Donald Trump as the 47* president.

I was ready to be outraged, as we all contemplated his act of war against Iran.

Stop. Breathe. And for the love of all that is holy (and a lot IS holy!), check the facts before you re-post that meme. (And no, Pope Leo did not say that...)

Gary