The Separation Between Church and Sports

To many, sports, the act of participating or viewing, is a religion. It is a sanctum, a place where you retreat to find everlasting peace and divinity.

You don't have to look far to find religious references in sports (i.e "Touchdown Jesus", "The Hail Mary"), yet discussing the role of religion in sports is often thought of being taboo.

The rise of political correctness in America has caused sensitive subjects, like personal religious beliefs and political affiliation, to be stricken from the record. We live in a country where retail employees are no longer allowed to bid customers farewell with "Have a Merry Christmas". It would be more likely to learn the salary of a co-worker (Once thought to be taboo) than their opinion on stem-cell research.

In the late Spring of 2011, college basketball met religion head-on.

Brandon Davies, a power forward for Brigham Young University (A school affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), was suspended from the team for violating rules that adhere with the school's religious beliefs, despite not being a Mormon believer himself. This issue turned into a topic of public agenda, with people like Amare Stoudamire weighing in with his opinion.

Now, why do I bring up the topic of religion, seemingly out of left-field?

I will tell you why, after the jump

Dick Vitale, the voice of college basketball on ESPN, has been vacationing in Europe over the past couple of days, and recently had a chance to visit with Pope Benedict XVII in Italy. Vitale, a devout Catholic, tweeted about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he was given, and shared pictures with his followers.

In the age of social media we live in, where news broadcasts are headlined by twitpics of what athletes had for dinner, it would be somewhat reasonable to think that "Dickie-V meeting the Pope" would get get some face-time on SportsCenter (Or at a minimum, a reference on the bottom line).

But according to Deadspin, ESPN executives released a inter-office memo notifying employees not to air any audio, video or text involving Vitale's visit with the Pope.

Clearly, there is a reasonable explanation to this. the World Wide Leader does not want to to appear as though they, or any public figure associated with them, has a certain religious beliefs. After all, most fans don't care who a player worships, as long as that player limits turnovers, cleans up the glass and can convert his foul shots.

But ESPN's decision to not allow any news to circulate on their Family of Networks represents one of the many problems with the media today.

Didn't ESPN invest some quality airtime into the somewhat-religious remarks made by the Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall?

We enabled people to provide updates on their everyday lives, then our news outlets started to report about these updates. Now, our news updaters have become news updates themselves.

Dick Vitale isn't just an ESPN employee. He's a college basketball fixture. You can love his passion, you can hate his questionable allegiance to traditional powerhouses, but he has become more than just an employee. He has become a story. 


Yet the largest sports media outlet in the world doesn't want to cover it.

Religion will always be a sticky subject, and even college hoops cannot avoid debating it's presence from time-to-time. 


Before the Brandon Davies situation, there was Tamir Goodman, aka "Jewish Jordan". Back in 1999, Goodman, a devote follower of Orthodox Judaism, averaged 38-ppg as a junior at Talmudical Academy in Rockville, Maryland. He became an overnight celebrity, and was recruited to play at Maryland. But Goodman never suited up for the Terps, because his religious beliefs restricted him from participating in athletic events on Saturday, the most important day of the week on the college basketball schedule.

But like every front-page news story, it came and went.

The problem is that at least the story was there. Even for a couple months, people talked about Goodman. For weeks, people referenced Stoudemire's quote and Mendenhall's tweets. Yes it's true, their shelf-life was no more than a week long, but at least they were given time on the shelf.

Is ESPN afraid of having to answer questions about religion? Hard to say, but in the world we live in, the anchors and talking heads don't just give us the news. They are the news.

And technically, doesn't "Dickie-V meeting the Pope" qualify as news?


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Detroit names their court after Dickie V, an honor well-earned

Some of the younger readers of BIAH out there may not know this, but Dick Vitale, before he became ESPN's most recognizable voice on college basketball broadcasts, was actually a head coach once upon a time.

After compiling a far-from-embarrassing 78-30 record in four years at the University of Detroit, Vitale was the head coach of the Detroit Pistons for a 30-52 campaign before getting canned after a 4-8 start the following season. Following the firing, Vitale became the lead college hoops analyst for a little startup company in the Northeast called ESPN, and the rest, as they say, is history, baby.

I'm not just bringing up Dick Vitale's past for the hell of it. The University of Detroit has actually decided to name their basketball court Dick Vitale Court. You can see photos of the construction here.


"What Dick has done for the game of college basketball is nothing short of remarkable, and it is only fitting that we honor him in such a special way – given his career started right here at U of D as a head coach," Detroit Athletic Director Keri Gaither said in a statement released by the school. "Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall will serve as a perpetual and lasting tribute to not only Dick's time at Detroit but also his significant contributions to the sport over several decades."

"When Keri called me and told me they were going to name the court after me at Calihan Hall, I was absolutely taken," Vitale said. "I can't tell you how much this means to me. It should be a special, special moment. It will probably move me to tears. To all the people that made this happen, you're awesome, baby!"

Vitale is as well-known as any college basketball personality, but he is not necessarily a favorite among most hoops fans. His energetic, over-the-top announcing style is not enjoyed by everyone. Vitale, some believe, has become a caricature of himself, college basketball's version of Chris Berman.

But there is one major difference between Berman and Vitale. Berman's a notorious asshole. Dickie V is one of the friendliest, most genuine, and most passionate people in the broadcasting business. He genuinely loves the game of basketball, getting to excited for his own good on many a telecast. And while his coaching career was far from Hall of Fame worthy, his biggest contributions to society has little to nothing to do with hoops. Vitale has been a huge part of the V Foundation, raising money and awareness for the fight against "can-suh".

Dickie V deserves to have a court named after him.

Not because he was a great coach, because he wasn't. And not because of his career as a broadcaster, because having a successful broadcasting career shouldn't earn you a court.

He deserves this honor because there may not be a better person in all of college basketball.
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Dick Vitale really is a great person

Dick Vitale is one of the more polarizing personalities in college basketball.

While there may not be a single person that truly loves college basketball as much as Dickie V, that energy and enthusiasm has a tendency to manifest itself in the form of a dizzying array of "dipsy-doo, dunkaroos", "diaper dandies", and "PTPers".

Simply put, its not hard to understand why there is a large contingent of the population that cannot stand to watch a game announced by Vitale.

Here at BIAH, we have given Vitale plenty of ridicule during this off-season, but the honest-to-goodness truth is that we like him. His passion for the game, and his general zest for life, is unparalleled in the industry.

Do you find Dick Vitale annoying? Yeah, sometimes we do too.
(photo credit: TheUConnBlog)

But it goes beyond that.

Dickie V is also one of the most caring and generous people I've come across.

Everyone knows about his work with the V Foundation and his efforts in finding a cure for cancer. While you may grow tired of him pronouncing it "CAN-suhh" or hearing him wax poetic about his good friend Jim Valvano, I challenge anyone to question his motivation or desire to put an end to the deadly disease.

But if you want to get a real feel for the type of person Vitale is, take a look at this story coming out of Tampa. From TampaBayOnline.com:

ESPN commentator Dick Vitale spoke this morning with Raechelle James, the mother of Jazmine Thompson, the Bayshore High School cheerleader who was fatally shot Friday night.

Vitale said he has made arrangements with the family to help with funeral expenses. James recently lost her job and does not have insurance.

"I didn't know Jazmine. I just know what I read, and it tears my heart out," Vitale said. "There's no way there should be a funeral for that young girl this weekend. She did nothing wrong. She was minding her own business."

Vitale also said he will speak with Bayshore High officials about establishing a scholarship fund in the names of Thompson and Dejuan Williams, a Bayshore graduate who was shot and killed Aug. 4.

Now, anyone that wants to hate on Vitale for his inability to provide color for a game above the fifth grade level, feel free. You will hear no objection from me. And if you're asking after I've been forced to listen to Vitale provide on-air sexual favors to Coach K's Blue Devils for the umpteenth time, odds are good I would agree.

But do not question Vitale's integrity.

Do not question the genuineness of his character.

Do not question his intentions when he helps people like Raechelle James.

Because I can guarantee that his decision to help pay for this funeral (and for a scholarship fund in the name of these two kids) has nothing to do with his standing in the court of public opinion. It has nothing to do with Vitale trying to protect his image.

This was something Vitale did because he cares. Because he wants to help people in need.

That's just the kind of person he is.

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Dickie V's All-Rolls Royce Teams released

And it begins...

Last week, we wrote a piece about who we would want to build a team around, referencing articles from FOXSports and Rivals regarding, in some way, who the best player in the country is.

And today we get Dickie V's all-american teams (all seven of them ... seriously). Overall, there aren't really a ton of surprises. His first team is pretty standard; Cole Aldrich, Kyle Singler, Luke Harangody, Sherron Collins, and Kalin Lucas.

To be honest, there really aren't all that many changes I would make. I probably would slide Patrick Patterson up onto the 1st team in place of Kyle Singler. I also would drop Damion James while moving both Evan Turner and Craig Brackins (who will both be top 10 picks next year, watch) up one spot each.

One player that Vitale whiffed on (which is surprising given his affinity for this team and this conference) is UNC sophomore center Ed Davis, who made his sixth team. Davis is being mentioned as a possible top 5 (maybe even #1) pick in the 2010 Draft. He is long, tall, athletic, and is tough at both ends. With all the Heels lost, there should be plenty of shots (and minutes) available for Davis. Expect a year similar to Aldrich's breakout '08-'09 season - 15, 10, and 3 blocks.

Another player to watch next year is Raymar Morgan, who Vitale listed as an honorable mention. Morgan was a beast as a sophomore, but battled through injuries and illness last season. Expect him to return to form.
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Dick Vitale is a Hall of Famer

Some people like him. Some people can't stand him. But the one thing that you can't argue is that Dick Vitale has left his mark on college basketball, from each "Dipsy-Doo Dunkaroo" to every "Awesome Baby, with a capital A!". Sure, he was never the greatest coach (but how many people can name the top 10 winningest coaches of all-time? I can probably get, like, six tops) or the greatest player, but has there ever been a more recognizable announcer in college basketball (or any sport for that matter)?

Seriously, has there ever been a college basketball announcer that is more well known than Dickie V, especially with casual fans? Love him or hate him, he has been as much a face (or voice) of college basketball as anyone since the 90's. It has gotten to the point where, if he is working a game, fans will come out with their bald wigs on and their "PTPer" signs. What other announcer has ever gotten that kind of treatment, regardless of who is playing.

Isn't that what the Hall of Fame is all about? It is more than just a place where you can hang the plaques of the guys a group of writers think were the best ever. The Hall of Fame (and this goes for any sport) is supposed to be a museum - a place someone can go to learn about the history of the game, the athletes and people that played, and everyone that was involved with it.

How can you tell the story of college basketball without mentioning Dick Vitale?

The one thing that most people hate the most about Dickie V (other than the Duke bias) is that he rants and raves and yells his usual Dickie-babble when he gets excited. Well, I think that is his best attribute, and what makes him the best at what he does. Don't get me wrong. When he starts spouting that verbal diarrhea, I sometimes want to throw the remote at the TV.

But all of it is legitimate. He is not faking it. He actually gets that excited about a great play. He really is that emotional when talking about Jim Valvano, his close friend that died of cancer. He truly enjoys and loves the game that college basketball so much, and he is not afraid to wear those emotions on his sleeve. 

And regardless of how much you hate him, you have to admire him for that.

Congratulations Dickie V. At least one person thinks you deserved it.

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