The last line of any performance is the most crucial of all.
It is an opportunity to thank those who made the experience possible and reflect on the trials and tribulations that brought about the victorious outcome.
This is nothing new. Athletes and celebrities alike have always taken full advantage of remembering their benefactors in the midst of receiving due praise.
But strangely enough, it’s a rare occurrence when those who actually helped earn the victory receive mention.
What the hell, I’ll just come out and say it: People like to thank God when they are victorious.
Our beloved Breesus followed in this tradition after the New Orleans Saints smote the Indianapolis Colts last year with a postgame pronouncement of “God is great” toward his heavenly Father.
Fun fact: Breesus said the identical transliteration of the ever popular Arabic “Allahu Akbar,” though I doubt anyone checked his pads for explosives.
Even Ricky Gervais, the infamous lewd host of the recent Golden Globes, managed to thank God at the conclusion of his performance — but for making him an atheist, of course.
And for a more recent — and less satirical — example, it was only Sunday that Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings took the proverbial pious knee as he exclaimed “To God be the glory” over and again.
Jennings apparently believes the Judeo-Christian God divinely intervened so he and his teammates could obtain a victory over the evil and sinful Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sounds a little strange when put in this light, does it not?
But while the absurdity in this claim seems a bit much, it isn’t really a new way of thinking.
The Bible is littered with similar victory claims from the “righteous,” though the biblical gridiron is usually littered with corpses and the entrails of the enemy after the “big game.”
But what should we as a 21st century “secular” society think when an athlete or celebrity gives all their thanks to a deity on national television following a winning performance?
For one thing, it is tribalism at its finest.
 
By this, I mean it establishes and promotes the idea that God has chosen one group over another. This form of divine favoritism, most notable in the Israelite conquests of Canaan, still exists today.
 
The problem with tribalism: It dehumanizes and dismisses the “other” team as not included in God’s divine favor.
 
And for a second — and more serious — concern, this sort of thinking neglects the complexities of the claim itself.
 
For instance, the next time you hear someone thank God for their victory, ask yourself, “Why should God care if this particular person or team won?”
Were they more righteous? Or maybe they prayed harder during halftime. Perhaps God had some money riding on the game and divinely intervened on His or Her own behalf.
The point I’m getting at is this: If there is a God, I sincerely doubt He or She cares who can throw or catch the pigskin at the right moment or whether an offense can run the option efficiently.
We should all dismiss a God who would allow children to starve to death worldwide, but at the same time intervene so the Packers can take the Vince Lombardi trophy back to Green Bay — good grief.
We are no longer in Bronze Age Palestine, despite what you may want to believe.
So in the event you find yourself victorious, first thank your parents, then your mentors and finally, when it’s all over — go “thank” yourself.
 
Andrew Robertson is a 24-year-old English writing and culture senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Arobertson.
 
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