Religious leaders and groups from across the country are taking notice of this year’s World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Earlier this week, two archbishops decided to bet on the fall classic, according to The Huffington Post.
The Rev. Robert Carlson, the archbishop of St. Louis, and Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, wagered “that the archbishop whose team loses the series” must make a $100 donation to the winning team’s Catholic Charities archdiocese, according to BostonCatholic.org.
Despite the bet between the archbishops, the mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay, announced on Twitter that there has been no bet between the cities' mayors so far.
Speaking of Twitter, the Rev. Laura Everett, who is an executive member of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, showed her support for the Red Sox with a prayerful tweet.
“Our Papi, who art at Fenway, hallowed be your name,” she wrote. “Your home runs come, your team hath won, on the road as it is at home.”
But the Westboro Baptist Church is not showing support for the World Series. The group released a statement on Sunday, announcing it was going to picket the third game of the World Series, which kicks off Saturday.
“This nation pours billions into worshipping this sport instead of worshipping God,” reads the statement. “Indeed, if you spent one tiny fraction of what you spend on your baseball-worship on learning what the Bible actually says, this would be a blessed righteous nation."
Westboro also doesn’t approve of the red uniforms donned by the Sox and the cardinals, saying they are “symbolic of the blood of murdered unborn children, and that of thousands killed in ‘unrighteous wars,’ ” according to The Christian Post.
But Boston fans won’t be too bothered since the playoff season is a religion in itself for the Boston faithful, according to the AP.
"It runs in the blood," Brian Campbell, a Red Sox fan, told the AP. "It's historic. It's right in the city. The fans here understand the game. If the south Florida teams win, they have fans. But as bad as the Red Sox may be, these fans will be here."
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