Sport and religion: Connections

If you were to draw a Venn diagram of concepts associated with baseball and religion, there is a surprisingly large amount of overlap: faith and doubt, blessings and curses, miracles, conversion, and community. In some circles, springtime is synonymous with Passover, Easter, and Opening Day!

On the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut in Major League Baseball, Dan Gottlieb explores connections between America’s so-called favorite pastime and religion, with John Sexton, author of Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game.

John Sexton is president of New York University. He teaches a full course load which includes a seminar course on which the book is based.

Dr. Dan will be giving a talk at Neumann University on Saturday, April 20 at 9:30 AM. The title of the lecture is “The Autism Puzzle: Fitting the Pieces Together.” And if you can’t make the talk at Neumann, you can still catch Dr. Dan’s presentation at the Camphill Special School on April 22 at 7:00 PM, entitled “Our Children, Our Teachers.” To RSVP for that event, visit Camphill’s website: www.camphillspecialschool.org.

Bill Moyers — The Journal: John Sexton

Bill Moyers sits down with NYU president and modern renaissance man John Sexton for a wide-ranging conversation about God, baseball, and the importance of thoughtful discourse in society. Born to a struggling Catholic family in Brooklyn, John Sexton still teaches undergraduates in addition to his work as president of one of the world’s largest and most prestigious universities.