ADVERTISEMENT

How much does the coaches religion influence a recruits decision

52T

Oct 26, 2023
171
138
43
I have no idea but I'm curious. I would say In some situations it could. I'm not sure if the coach can give an opinion
 
Probably a particularly individual thing.

Some zero and some few a lot.

Some are very religious, some want little to nothing to do with it.
Many are just whatever their family is but may not think about it in any serious way and are just being teen and young adults doing their thing.

It isn't money, winning, coeds, or development that applies to nearly everyone.
 
Probably how the coach behaves, and speaks to players (i.e in practice) is more of a factor. For example, for a highly religious player, he probably would not have wanted to play for Knight, coach K, and others who swore like sailors. In that instance, a coach like Tubby & others may have been a better fit.
 
Slim to none. Pope went to UK as a Mormon and I bet nobody on that team or staff were Mormon. I think the only one this besides Pope is Chandler. So 14 players and 5-6 coaches about 20 people and it's Pope and Chandler.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chroix
Much like in life, no one really cares who is religious or not as long as you aren’t trying to force it on them. NIL can make you overlook a lot anyways.
That sounds great on paper. Truthfully though, most people are subconsciously living out the implications of their worldview. The end result is that people often try to “force” others to live within their code of ethics even if they themselves may view their own actions as virtuous. An example of this may be someone who is a secular humanist who may view someone else evangelizing their faith to another person as violating their own view that someone should not impose their views on another person. The humanist begins to judge the person who evangelizes as a net negative to society and begins to tell the evangelist to take their preaching elsewhere. Strangely, the scenario is actually the humanist performing the very “sin” they believe the evangelist to be guilty of. Truthfully, the humanist isn’t intending to be inconsistent —- they are living out their own world view which in and of itself, is also a religious construct.

TLDR: There is a reason why the people who claim to be the most tolerant are often the most abrasive to anyone who doesn’t agree with their values.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blue_2_the_bone
Slim to none. Pope went to UK as a Mormon and I bet nobody on that team or staff were Mormon. I think the only one this besides Pope is Chandler. So 14 players and 5-6 coaches about 20 people and it's Pope and Chandler.
I'm pretty sure Vernon Hatton was a Mormon. A couple of my dad's Mormon cousins are married to Hatton's cousins who were Mormon. My dad played on a softball team their church had and met Hatton when he played against him in tournament between Mormon church teams. If I remember correctly my dad said Hatton was a Mormon, at least back then. Of course my dad wasn't one but they wanted him to play so the same could be said about Hatton. He played for Rupp so religion didn't affect his decision.
 
I'm pretty sure Vernon Hatton was a Mormon. A couple of my dad's Mormon cousins are married to Hatton's cousins who were Mormon. My dad played on a softball team their church had and met Hatton when he played against him in tournament between Mormon church teams. If I remember correctly my dad said Hatton was a Mormon, at least back then. Of course my dad wasn't one but they wanted him to play so the same could be said about Hatton. He played for Rupp so religion didn't affect his decision.
Hal Mumme and Mike Leach were Mormons. Not sure, but some others on Mumme's staff, like Claude Bassett, may have been Mormons, too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 52T and chroix
I could definitely see it having an advantage and being a plus if it's an aspect that you can connect on personally. There are a number of factors that weigh into some recruits decisions, so that can be an additional check mark that a recruit and their family might like.

I can also see it being a detractor. I'm sure when a guy like Dabo says stuff like "we built this program on God's name, image and likeness" there are recruits who might be turned off by that.
 
There are so many different factors and I would list this criteria way down on the list.
 
Bingo.

Not all people are equally religious. Some are very religious. Others are not religious at all.

I would say this question varies by individual player.
Unless the entirety of society begins to adopt a Nietzsche-esque nihilism, yes everyone is fundamentally dogmatic about some type of ideology. Are all people equally religious? No. The idea that we can have some type of morally neutral common ground where everyone agrees is a false view steeped in secular humanism — that worldview has its own implications. How do you think you end up with a culture that is radically divided over whether or not children should be allowed certain surgeries? Does everyone agree about whether or not certain procedures that may be serviced as reproductive rights are morally reprehensible or upholding libertarian freedom? The answer is obvious…No! People disagree with great variance over topics such as those regardless of whether or not they are connected to an institutionalized religion because the religion of men is intrinsic and implicit. The optimal way to handle the dilemma, in my opinion, isn’t to change the definitions in a way that causes all to agree. The resolution is to be understanding of others’ worldviews, even those you disagree with vehemently. AKA respect for the common man and the embrace of exchanges of ideas.

This is why I have no problem with Pope being coach and can embrace him fully. I also am unashamed to tell others specific issues I have with certain Mormon doctrines.
 
Last edited:
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT