But who is God rooting for in Super Bowl XLVIII? Half of American fans think supernatural forces decide who wins football games

A Public Religion Research Institute study found that whether its God, voodoo curses or prayer, 50 percent of Americans think higher powers are at play during games

Over a quarter of them pray to God specifically to help their team

Football fans are more likely than fans of other sports to believe supernatural forces affect game outcomes



Whether it’s with a good luck dance, whispering a curse or prayers sent directly to God, half of American football fans believe supernatural forces are at play right alongside their favorite quarterback.



A study from the Public Religion Research Institute found that a full third of all football fans pray directly to God to help out their favorite teams.



With Super Bowl XLVIII just days away, the study forces the question: Will God be rooting for the Broncos or Seahawks?

Are you there God? It's me, Peyton: A Public Religion Research Institute study found that whether its God, voodoo curses or prayer, 50 percent of Americans think higher powers are at play during games. But the question of who those forces will shine on--Seattle and QG Russell Wilson (left) or Denver and Peyton Manning (right)--remains to be seen in the upcoming Super Bowl



‘Just ahead of the 2014 Super Bowl, 50 percent of sports fans see some aspect of the supernatural at play in sports,’ reports the January 16 survey of 1,011 people in English and Spanish between January 8 – 12.



The supernatural, as per the survey results, can mean one of several of things and even included wearing a lucky article of clothing to help out a team.

Which is exactly what one in four American football fans say they do when they want to sway a game’s outcome.

One in three fans takes a more direct approach by praying directly to God to help their team.



On the flipside, some 31 percent of fans thinks their team has somehow been cursed when they perform poorly.



The Super Bowl is consistently one of the country’s most watched televised events and 100 million are expected to tune in to watch Seattle go head-to-head with Denver.

God and football: The study found that football fans are more likely than fans of other sports to believe that God affects the outcome of games

MAJORITY OF AMERICANS THINK THERE'S MORE TO FOOTBALL THAN JUST TALENT

A January 16 survey published from the Public Religion Institute asked 1,011 English and Spanish speaking football fans about their supernatural beliefs as they apply to America's favorite sport. 21 percent do a ritual like wearing good luck clothing or doing a little dance in the belief it helps sway games 25 percent of fans said they honestly believe the team they root for has been cursed 22 percent say 'God plays a role in which team wins a sporting event'

26 percent pray to God to hep their team, apparently whether they believe it helps or not (see above) Whether its God, voodoo curses or any other unseen force, 50 percent of fans see some aspect of the supernatural at play in sports

So, as all those fans are praying, donning special jerseys or doing little rituals like a team dance (21 percent), will the Almighty creator be sending good juju in any specific team’s direction?



‘No,’ Rabbi Arthur Weiner of the Jewish Community Center of Paramus told NJ.com. 'The truth is we don't believe that this is the kind of thing God needs to or should be getting involved with.'

NFL analyst, former pro-football player and devout Christian Kurt Warner doesn’t see it as quite so black and white.



‘It's one of those tricky questions,’ he said. ‘I believe God has your best interest in mind. How that correlates to winning and losing football games, I'm not fully sure.’



As for individual athletes, Weiner seems to believe there’s more than meets the eye than just physical talent.



'On the other hand, let's take the Tim Tebow phenomenon,' Weiner said. 'A lot of people made fun of it, but here was a devout Christian, an honorable man, a world-class athlete — although he may have not had the success later in his career — at that moment, him choosing to acknowledge his creator as the source of his strength...I think it demonstrated a certain piety which I think is admirable.'



And on this, a majority of Americans would agree.



According to the PRRI study, ‘more than 6-in-10 white evangelical Protestants (62 percent) and minority Protestants (65 percent) believe that God rewards athletes. Half of Catholics, 44 percent of white mainline Protestants and only 22 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans believe that God rewards athletes who have faith.’



Earlier this week, Seattle Seahawks Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Rocky Seto gave his unequivocal take on religion and football.



In what Americans may see as a way of tipping the scales in his team’s favor, Seto told the Christian News Service:

