Most people say God — almighty, all-knowing, compassionate, righteous, faithful, forgiving and with about 100 other biblical attributes — has no interest in smiting any Broncos or Panthers in the big NFL matchup on Sunday (Feb. 7).
That’s what 85 percent of Americans say in a new LifeWay Research survey.
They may believe “his eye is on the sparrow” but they don’t think his eye is on the gridiron, the Nashville-based evangelical research agency finds.
However, some (11 percent) say the Lord will determine whether a team from Denver or Carolina triumphs. And a few (8 percent) say God does indeed care which team wins, although the overwhelming majority (88 percent) may think he has bigger fish to fry.
“The Bible says God sets up and takes down nations and rulers,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research, in a press release. “Either Americans do not agree, or they think God focuses on political leaders rather than cultural sports icons.”
The phone survey of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted early in the NFL season, Sept. 14-28, 2015. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
Cathy Lynn Grossman is senior national correspondent for RNS
Courtesy: Religion News Service
Publication date: February 4, 2026
