A Lovely Day for Sports-da-Fé

Lest we get to thinking that Americans are the only people capable of combining sports and church — see the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hunters for Jesus, etc.—here we have a photo from Sevilla that shows the baby Jesus wearing a Real Betis soccer uniform. It’s hard not to wonder what the Son of God might make of being appropriated in this way. On the one hand, the stripes aren’t a bad look. The sport shorts do match the halo. And being made to sponsor a soccer team is certainly an improvement on being made to sponsor the Spanish Inquisition. On the other hand, Real Betis isn’t exactly a picture of triumph and glory these days. The team did so poorly last season — a record of 10-12-16, ranked 18^th of 20 — that they were demoted to a lower division. In the lesser league, Betis is faring somewhat better (7-5-5), but not, um, divinely. In fact, losing is so routine for Betis, it’s even addressed in the official Betis hymn: ¡Viva El Betis Manquepierda!, runs the chorus. Long live Betis, even if you lose!

It’s maybe a little touching, this loyalty to a lost cause. And who can say: with the baby Jesus on board, the cause may not be lost for long. With the baby Jesus on board, maybe it’s only a matter of time before the Betis faithful are rewarded for their devotion to the team.

Maybe.

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Charlie Geer is the author of the novel “Outbound: The Curious Secession of Latter-Day Charleston.” His work has appeared in Tin House, The Sun, Bloomsbury Magazine, and The Southern Review.