Robbins College’s Unique Course Blends Religion and Sport

What are the “weirdest courses being offered at Texas colleges this semester?” According to a recent social media post, one of these classes is offered by Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences: Religion and Sport.

This course is taught in the Fall and Spring semesters by Andrew R. Meyer, PhD, Associate Professor of Sport Foundations for the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, whose research examines sport in contemporary culture. Since 2012, the class has focused on sport and religion as important cultural activities, and the discussion-based approach Meyer takes allows his students to think more philosophically about these two important cultural topics.

In 2017, Meyer redesigned the course curriculum to dig deeper into how Christian character traits—selected by his students each semester—help explore the relationship sport and religion have with each other in our world today.

“I used to lecture the whole time, and it was fun—more fun for me because I was sharing all the knowledge I had with them,” he recalled. “Now, the students get to select and create the content we cover each semester. It gives them ownership.”

For the Fall 2025 semester, the Christian character traits the students selected are initiative, patience, integrity, humility, respect, and perseverance, all of which Meyer connects to a variety of sports popular in the United States, such as baseball and football, and internationally, such as cycling in the Tour de France.

“Religion and sport are two really important cultural activities for human beings around the world,” he said. “There is not a society—even ones that are remote—that do not have something we would consider sport.”

Although the course has a Christian focus, Meyer emphasizes that Christian character traits are also embodied by people with different religious beliefs. He teaches that Christian virtues are human virtues, and sport can reveal how much humanity has in common.

Baylor’s environment makes it an ideal place to talk about religion and sport, as students discuss the topic often speaking from a Christian perspective. This allows Meyer and his students to go more in-depth with topics that are not presented at secular universities.

“Sport is a huge part of who we are as a university, as well,” he said. “It’s our front porch as a university—as it is with universities across the country—so, we should have conversations about these things. One of our goals at Baylor is to have a Christian voice as an R1 institution, so we should also be thinking, ‘What happens when we put all that science into practice?’”

Technical classes taught in formal lab settings can be greatly enhanced by courses like Religion and Sport. Meyer believes it is necessary from a human flourishing perspective.

“Religion and sport are things that we all love and know about,” he said. “So, for students to be able to learn that side of life while also being exposed to excellent lab scholars—that’s what Baylor and Robbins College are trying to do for students—to give them a holistic perspective.”

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Established in 2014, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences seeks to enhance health, quality of life, and human flourishing for all individuals and communities through education, research, and innovation. It includes six academic departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance, and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; and Public Health—along with the Division of Health Professions, which houses the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. Robbins College offers 13 bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees, as well as nine graduate programs in partnership with the U.S. Army. Graduate programs in Robbins College are offered in a variety of modalities, including on campus, online, and hybrid.