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In his\u00a0Papal\u00a0letter\u00a0entitled \u201cLife in Abundance1<\/sup>,\u201d Pope Leo XIV emphasizes the value of sport\u00a0in anticipation of the\u00a0Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.\u00a0Sport is more than just competition.\u00a0Pope Leo frames it as a rejection to social division. \u201cIt offers a privileged space for\u00a0relationship\u00a0and dialogue with our brothers and sisters belonging to other religious traditions, as well as with those who do not identify with any religious tradition.\u201d\u00a0A recent Seton Hall Sports Poll explored these very thoughts\u00a0presented by Pope Leo.<\/p>\n Continuing in his letter, Pope Leo highlights how sport builds\u00a0crucial character traits like honesty, humility, and teamwork, which are also heavily encouraged by faith. He sees sport as a transformative experience where personal goals are\u00a0subordinated to\u00a0team\u00a0objectives. He believes that when athletes embrace true sportsmanship, they shift their focus from themselves to the group, striving together to achieve a common goal. In doing so, sport\u00a0teaches\u00a0important values such as unity, sacrifice, and mutual responsibility.<\/p>\n When polled\u00a0whether\u00a0values often associated with faith (e.g., honesty,\u00a0humility\u00a0and teamwork) continue to play\u00a0an important role\u00a0in modern sport culture<\/em>, more than half agreed.\u00a0Fifty-two\u00a0percent of the general population believe that these values are still important in sports.\u00a0Those who describe themselves as religious agreed\u00a0by a 2 to 1 margin over those who describe themselves as not religious (65% to 31%).\u00a0Avid\u00a0sports\u00a0fans\u00a0(69%)\u00a0agree\u00a0the\u00a0most. This\u00a0compares to\u00a060 percent of casual fans\u00a0and\u00a036 percent of non-fans\u00a0who similarly agree.<\/p>\n Values often associated with faith (e.g., honesty,\u00a0humility\u00a0and teamwork) continue to play\u00a0an important role\u00a0in modern\u00a0sport\u00a0culture.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOverall, Pope Leo offers a lofty evaluation of sport\u2014regarding it as a continuing and living witness to \u2018the goodness of the world created by God,\u2019\u201d said Reverend Monsignor Thomas G. Guarino, S.T.D., Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at Seton Hall. \u201cIndeed, for the Pope, sport provides a dynamic testimony to the extraordinary uniqueness of the human person as \u2018a unity of spirit, soul and body.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n This Poll was conducted November 9th<\/sup>\u00a0through November 10th<\/sup> and includes responses from 1,564 U.S. adults with a margin of error of +\/- 3%. The sample mirrors the U.S. Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region. The Poll is sponsored by the Sharkey Institute within the Center for Sport Management in the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University.<\/p>\n Americans Support Religious Expression\u00a0from\u00a0Athletes<\/strong><\/p>\n Pope Leo reaffirms the Church’s support of the Olympic Truce, recently endorsed by the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations General Assembly. Highlighting a world “thirsting for peace,” he\u00a0advocates for\u00a0mechanisms that can stop “the abuse of power, displays of force and indifference to the rule of law.” He strongly encourages nations to embrace the Olympic Truce during the\u00a0Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026\u00a0as a symbol of hope\u00a0—\u00a0a promise of global reconciliation. Through this message, the Pope views sport as more than leisure, seeing it as a moral and diplomatic tool capable of uniting divided societies.<\/p>\n Pope Leo emphasizes sport\u2019s cultural, educational, and symbolic worth as a common language of encounter and hope.\u00a0The Seton Hall Sports Poll surveyed Americans about whether they support\u00a0an\u00a0athlete\u2019s freedom to express their faith and to display\u00a0religious gestures during games.<\/p>\n Support for an athlete\u2019s religious gesture is strong across all segments surveyed.\u00a0The results show that 53 percent of the general population, 67 percent of those who describe themselves as religious, 60 percent of sports fans, and 64 percent of avid fans\u00a0support\u00a0an\u00a0athlete\u2019s\u00a0freedom to express\u00a0one’s\u00a0faith during competition.<\/p>\n Professional and collegiate sports should actively support athletes\u2019 freedom to express their faith during competition.<\/em><\/p>\n Moreover, the results show that\u00a047\u00a0percent of the general population, 60\u00a0percent of those who describe themselves as religious,\u00a054\u00a0percent of sports fans, and 59 percent of avid fans\u00a0feel that it is\u00a0appropriate for\u00a0an athlete to display religious gestures during games.<\/p>\n It is appropriate for athletes to display religious gestures during games (e.g., prayer, kneeling, prostrating, pointing upward).<\/em><\/p>\n Religion and Sport Work Together<\/strong><\/p>\n Combined, the Pope’s thoughts and the Seton Hall Sports Poll results show that sports are still a place where morals matter in today’s world. As we enjoy the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Pope Leo XIV’s words are both inspiring and a call to action: when sports are based on honesty, humility, and working together, they become more than just games. They become a way to bring people together, talk to each other, and find hope.<\/p>\n [1] \u201cLife in Abundance\u201d On the Value of Sport. https:\/\/press.vatican.va\/content\/salastampa\/en\/bollettino\/pubblico\/2026\/02\/06\/260206d.html<\/a><\/p>\n Questions and charted breakdowns are below; an online version of this release may be found at\u00a0https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/sportspoll\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/sportspoll\/files\/2026\/02\/pope-2.png\")
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