Does God really care who wins sporting events?  I only ask that ridiculous question because athletes throw their religious beliefs in our faces constantly.  Whether it's in postgame interviews or by their gestures on the field, athletes on every level seem to think that God wants them to win.

I can't stand these "God Squaders" and their insistence on forcing their religious beliefs down the throats of sports fans who just want to enjoy a game.  That's why I found it refreshing when Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson took the opposite approach after his team lost last weekend.

The Bills lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-16 in overtime last Sunday, but it wasn't because kicker Shaun Suisham kicked the winning field goal with 2:14 left in overtime.  And it wasn't because Johnson dropped a sure 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Frank Fitzpatrick on the series before Suisham's game winner.  Oh no, it was all God's fault.  At least that's what Johnson said.

After the game Johnson took to Twitter, where all the great theologians of our time go to pontificate.  There he blamed God for the loss.  His tweet read:  "I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS IS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! I'LL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!! THX THO".

I won't even bother to bring up the fact that Twitter is producing a generation of people that are so stupid they can't spell, use proper punctuation or capitalization, or even write a single coherent thought.  That's a rant for another day.  Here, we'll just focus on God.

Personally I find it hilarious that an athlete finally went public with something that I have been saying forever.  I always wondered if the players from a losing team blamed God for their loss as much as the players from the winning team always praised him.  Thankfully, we now have our answer.  Yes, they do.

Allen Iverson was right.  It's not about practice.  It's about what team the big man upstairs likes on that particular day.  Forget about game-planning.  The Almighty has already determined how the game is going to turn out, so why bother.  Working out?  HA!  God gave you the body you have, so that must be good enough to do whatever has been predetermined.  

Of course this all makes me wonder why religious leaders aren't all billionaires.  I mean if God determines who will win every sporting event, don't you think he would give the winners to his "posse"?  Shouldn't these "Men of God" have some inside information that would make them unbeatable with the bookies?  Hmmm....Clearly I have to give this idea more thought.

If it isn't just God deciding who wins and who loses every sporting event then what could it possibly be?  You don't suppose that the outcome is determined by the actual coaches and players do you?  That can't be right.  Then that would make all of these athletes throwing their religion in our faces complete morons.

And what about the refs and umps who "fix" games according to every Joe Sixpack who lost a bet on a "bad call"?  Are they simply acting on divine intervention?  

If God determines who wins, shouldn't the Los Angeles Angels win the World Series every year?  Shouldn't the New Jersey Devils lose every game in the NHL?  Shouldn't Notre Dame win every single game they ever play since they have "Touchdown Jesus" looking over their stadium?  Now, I'm confused.  And what side would God take in an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals?  I'm beginning to think it would be easier to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the chocolate center of a Tootsie-Pop.

And what about other religions besides Christianity?  Does Allah, Jehovah, Buddha or whatever other religious figure some player worships also get to decide the outcome of sporting events?  And if so, what happens if these deities don't all agree on one team?  Eenie-Meenie-Mineie-Moe?  Rock-Paper-Scissors?

Of course I'm kidding about all this.  Sort of.  

I'm just trying to point out how ridiculous it is that athletes always bring religion into the outcome of a game.  It's just a game.  And while the name of the Lord may be taken in vein by many an American sporting fan when their favorite team doesn't win, that doesn't mean that God is controlling the outcome of the game.

The best example of this for me personally was when the great Reggie White left the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in 1993.  White was known as "The Minister of Defense" because of his strong religious beliefs and his constant preaching.  He was actually an ordained Evangelical minister.  Unfortunately I lost all respect for the man when he signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1993.  It wasn't because he signed for the most money he could get or with the team where he wanted to play.  It was his right as a free agent to sign wherever he chose.  It was Reggie's stated reason for choosing Green Bay that ticked me off.

White claimed that "God told him to sign in Green Bay".  Yes, because Reggie was so important to the human race that God had to stop all the important work of deciding the outcome of sporting events to tell him where to sign.  (Wait; maybe LeBron should use this excuse to explain that whole "Decision" fiasco.)  

Or maybe Reggie was just a complete hypocrite who signed with the team that offered him the most money.  Personally, I think he was just a hypocrite.  His homophobic remarks after his retirement when he claimed that homosexuality is a sin against God, is all the proof anyone should need to know what kind of a man he was.

Look, I understand that different people have different religious beliefs.  That's fine.  This is America where you're free to follow whatever religion you choose.  But that doesn't mean that athletes should be constantly praising God in interviews when they win a game.  

Some people think what Steve Johnson did was terrible or blasphemous.  Me?  I think it was hysterical.  He not only showed what a complete idiot he is, but also shined a light on all the other athletes who needlessly force religion into an area where it most certainly does not belong.

Thank God for Steve Johnson.  Oh wait............