Over the past few years, including this one, there has been public controversy about political messages in professional sports, football especially. Less controversial, it seems, are religious messages in professional sports. Praying before games, or the idea that God guides individuals to athletic success, seems to me a particular expression of the American Protestant ethos. Kelsey Dallas writes:

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts both speak openly and regularly about the role of faith in their football careers. . . . “I give all the glory to God. He’s given me this platform to showcase my skills and play a game that I love, and so that’s always the top of the list,” Mahomes said while meeting with the press this week. . . . Hurts shared similar thoughts, noting that faith is at the center of his life.

Dallas also notes some interesting survey data:

Researchers found that 56 percent of U.S. adults who watch sports at least a few times per month are “very” or “somewhat” supportive of athletes using their platform to talk about their religious beliefs or other spiritual issues. Just 12 percent said they were unsupportive. More sports fans appreciate athletes discussing their faith than appreciate athletes discussing political issues that matter to them.

More than three-quarters of religious respondents, [however], said that God does not have a preference for who wins athletic competitions and does not influence the result.

For more than a year, the Iran-backed Houthis have been launching drones and missiles at ships traversing the Red Sea, as well as at Israeli territory, in support of Hamas. This development has drastically curtailed shipping through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, driving up trade prices. This week, the Trump administration began an extensive bombing campaign against the Houthis in an effort to reopen that crucial waterway. Burcu Ozcelik highlights another benefit of this action:

The administration has a broader geopolitical agenda—one that includes countering China’s economic leverage, particularly Beijing’s reliance on Iranian oil. By targeting the Houthis, the United States is not only safeguarding vital shipping lanes but also exerting pressure on the Iran-China energy nexus, a key component of Beijing’s strategic posture in the region.

China was the primary destination for up to 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports in 2024, underscoring the deepening economic ties between Beijing and Tehran despite U.S. sanctions. By helping fill Iranian coffers, China aids Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in financing proxies like the Houthis. Since October of last year, notable U.S. Treasury announcements have revealed covert links between China and the Houthis.

Striking the Houthis could trigger broader repercussions—not least by disrupting the flow of Iranian oil to China. While difficult to confirm, it is conceivable and has been reported, that the Houthis may have received financial or other forms of compensation from China (such as Chinese-made military components) in exchange for allowing freedom of passage for China-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea.