Raiders 7, Saints 0; Dodgers 1, Cardinals 0

By Paul M. Lacayo

Now being brought up Catholic, I don’t know how people in other denominations dress for Sabbath Services, but my guess is that your church/temple attire is pretty conservative/casual on most occasions outside of High Holy Days.

As you probably realize for many of us the days of everyone in attendance wearing a suit and tie, dresses only and hats to Church are long behind us. Obviously there are those that wear very nice clothes to Sabbath Services and of course I admire that because I rarely dress to the nines even for Christmas or Easter, but my attire is casual and nice if I do say so myself.

Yet, with our sports saturated society it seems some people can’t separate a Church visit from sitting around the TV rooting on their sports team or visiting the stadium, err, uh, sorry, “Temple Of The Sports Gods” to root their team to victory.

Now I’m sure that God isn’t as concerned as to what particular type of clothes you wear to services as much as he is about how you take care of your soul as well as the way you treat your fellow homo-sapiens, the animals and this beautiful rock he put you on in a caring and loving way. Nor is this the first instance of people wearing sports attire or other recreation activity related clothing to church. Indeed, it’s been going on for a long time.

However, can anyone explain the need to wear Football T-Shirts and a Baseball Replica Jerseys to Church for Mass Services? It just struck me as it always has, as a sign of disrespect.

Well that’s what happened a couple of weeks back at Sunday Mass, awaiting the start of the service, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a couple with their son and daughter entering the Church.

While Mom and daughter were dressed nicely; Mom wearing pants and short sleeve top and daughter was wearing a white flowery dress; old Papa was wearing a white Oakland Raiders T-Shirt while his pre-teen looking progeny wore his Russell Martin, No. 55, Dodgers Replica Jersey.

Maybe I’m just and idiot or outmoded or beginning to enter the “old fuddy duddy” territory; but for those of you who can’t separate ESPN updates from Church Etiquette rules of thumb on what to wear to services, how about this:

When you come into a holy place, can you not plaster yourself with a logo of an entity that in the overall grand scheme of things is really not in life’s top five priorities? Also, how about letting the rest of us take a break from your stated priority in the circle of life? While we’re at it, can you let the rest of us here worshiping as a community and thanking the man upstairs; avoid being distracted by Bratz, WWE, NASCAR, West Coast Choppers, Tony Hawk, or any characters from the DC or Marvel Universe in between the aisles and pews.

Should we want to catch a glimpse of these lovely shirts, we’ll head down to the local Hot Topic, Pro Sports or Old Navy store where business is to church as Brittney Spears is to Mother Theresa. Now I’m not saying that Mass is as thrilling as Lebron James Slam Dunk or a Reggie Bush Touchdown run but when I’m at God’s Pad for heaven’s sakes, can I concentrate on my sins and how I’m going to atone for them rather than be reminded that the Dodgers haven’t won the World Series since 1988 or my 49ers haven’t hoisted the Lombardi Trophy since 1995.

How about worshiping those other “gods” on your own time? Huh? What you’re really saying is: “Church is an inconvenience. As long as I have to go, I don’t need to wear anything respectful …but the old number 32 will look just great when I genuflect and receive communion as well as blazing a fashion trend for all the drably clothes wearing, Mass attendees!”

Oh yeah, that ought a look just great as you do a spin move on the aisle usher, leap frog the annoying, crying 3 year old in pull-ups, poke out the stiff arm on grandma in her walker just in time to spike the ball at the feet of the Padre before saying “Amen!” to the Body of Christ!

When you’re at services, it’s time to pay homage to the ultimate Commissioner, the greatest home run hitter, court player, puck handler, pound for pound fighter in the universe, cause no one bends it like him! – God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, the Life Force, the Man Upstairs.

Take some of that hard earned money and next time, instead of investing $60-$150 dollars on that jersey or t-Shirt, get your self a nice casual shirt for you and junior, make sure it doesn’t scream at us. Then, when you wear it for one hour out of 168 of the week at Mass to show you have a little respect for the one who made it possible for all of us to wear our favorite teams’ logo – outside.

Now if you think that’s maybe a small, insignificant peeve on my part and I’m way off base here, hey don’t’ mind me and don’t mind the guy or gal next to you with their Misfits T-Shirt or the El Che top or even the Transformers threads on little Jack or Jill. After all it’s all about self expression and freedom of choice and what not. I guess they’ll be the ones wondering why their life went to hell in a hand basket on the way to buy their next pair of indispensable Rob Zombie neckties.

Which makes me wonder, the next ball game or concert I go to, instead of wearing a Sports T-shirt, maybe I’ll wear my “God Rocks!” Shirt, or “Jesus and the Twelve – 40 A.D. Middle East and European Tour” or “Yin and Yang then pray for delay”, “When You Vishnu upon a Star”, “Buddha has left the Building!”, “Allah for One, and One for Allah!” or “Jehovah and the Ten Commandments!”

As Dennis Miller would say, “That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.”