Sport Spectrum, the American magazine that looks at the evangelical world of sport, surveyed 1,540 adults on their views on a variety of issues including:

Do you think God has a preference (or influences) on who wins or loses athletic competitions? (asked only to those who are Catholic, Christian, Jewish or Muslim)

I wonder what your answer would be?

Do you think God cares who wins or loses a game of American Football? How about a game of amateur rugby or that game of chess between you and your seven year-old nephew?

Whilst 78% of the respondents said ‘No,’ 22% felt that God does have a preference on who wins or loses in sport.

Controversially, I think I’m with the 22%, but maybe not in the way you may think.

Prosperity or purpose?

In January, Riley Leonard, a quarterback at the Catholic University Notre Dame made headlines before the 2025 College Football Playoff National Finals against Ohio State when he said:

“We’re the two main teams to just publicly display our faith the most…I truly believe that Jesus was looking over both our shoulders throughout the season and put these two teams on a pedestal for a reason.”

He seems to be saying that God let them win as a result of their evangelism. He seems to be saying that God influenced their performance due to their religious observation.

Paul Putz, author of The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports rightly says:

“We can’t discern God’s will when it comes to why one team wins and the other loses. If we try, we can easily fall into the transactional frame of the prosperity gospel: If players perform religion in the right way, if they have enough faith, then God will bless them with success.”

This is a misunderstanding seen in some young sportspeople as they understandably confuse God with a kind of cosmic coach. They’ve been used to authority figures, like their coaches, rewarding them for their performance. As Chris Watkin insightfully notices, “it is the default human setting, and the default mode of our society: achievement brings reward, and you do what you must to get what you want.”

For people with this instinct (and that’s all of us), they need to be reminded that the God of the Bible is, wonderfully, not like that. He does not give us what we deserve and that is glorious news for the believer. God has given us good gifts so we might enjoy him, not so we might prove ourselves to him (something I unpack more of in an upcoming book).

So I don’t think God influences our game because of what we do.

But this is where I think I land with the 22%. I do believe Jesus was looking over Riley Leonard and his teammates' shoulders in the season, because I do think God really cares about every aspect of our lives, even our sport. I believe he uses all of these moments, the highs and the lows, to make us more like Jesus. He knows that certain results will push or pull us in certain directions.

Leonard seemed to begin to process this in his post match press conference after his team comprehensively lost.

“I think [both teams] strengthened each other in our faith through coming to this game and competing against one another, so I’m happy to see Godly men come out on top no matter the circumstances- and I’m happy to praise Jesus in the lowest of lows as well.”

More than winning

Paul in Romans 8:28 tells us that:

“In all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

If we believe God is in charge of the universe and he works all things for our good, this has to include our sport. The key here is defining properly what Paul means here by “good.” For us we may think “good” is winning all the time, breaking world records and getting promoted.

But Paul continues in verse 29:

“For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

The “good” God works in us is making us more like Jesus – having our character changed so we grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

The uncomfortable truth is that the Spirit often cultivates these characteristics in adversity. As Ed Usynski reminds us, “[God’s] view of what constitutes a “win” or a “loss” couldn’t be more contrary to what we typically are fed as…viewers and participants of sport and life.” For Jesus victory was primarily seen in defeat, strength in weakness.

The biggest victory

God can then use the pain of defeat or the shame of a loss, to remind us of our identity that is fixed and secure in Him as our Father. He can use the joy of victory which fades quickly, to remind us of the everlasting joy of knowing Jesus for eternity.

As we either win or lose, God is blessing both the “winner” and the “loser” with another opportunity to worship God in how we respond to him and to those around us. He even uses the outcomes to allow those who don’t yet trust in Jesus to realise their need for him as they see the hollowness of both victory and defeat at being able to provide lasting satisfaction.

So does God care whether we win or lose? Does he have a preference?

I think so. He cares because he loves us and longs us to be more like him and to enjoy him forever and he uses the things we enjoy and spend our time doing to help do that.

Jonny Reid

Jonny is the Director of Engagement at Oak Hill College and writes for Christians in Sport. He plays cricket at Cumnor Cricket Club and is one of the leaders of Town Church Bicester.