NEW YORK — Sports is religion.
Star players and teams, even stadiums, inspire the same fervor and devotion in sports fans as the world's great religions do in their followers.
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That's the intriguing idea behind AT&T's original sports documentary series, "Religion of Sports," executive-produced by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and former Giants star Michael Strahan (Nov. 15, 8 p.m. ET on DirecTV and AT&T U-verse).
When you stop and think, the two former Super Bowl XLII opponents are spot-on.
Consider:
— Sports has its living gods such as the LeBron "The Chosen One" James of the NBA champion Cavaliers
— It has saints such as Vince Lombardi of the NFL, Jackie Robinson of MLB and Dale Earnhardt Sr. of NASCAR. And sinners such as steroid users Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds.
— Don't forget the high priests who inspire devotion in their followers like Bill Belichick of the Patriots, Nick Saban of Alabama and Joe Maddon of the Cubs.
— Sports boasts miracle workers, such as Theo Epstein and Mark "The Messiah" Messier who rescued MLB's Cubs and the NHL's Rangers from decades-long championship droughts.
— There's holy sites where sports fans make religious pilgrimages. Among them: Chicago's Wrigley Field, New York's Madison Square Garden, Green Bay's Lambeau Field and Boston's Fenway Park
Co-created by Brady, Strahan and Gotham Chopra (son of Deepak Chopra), the series will cover everything from NASCAR to the UFC.
Sports can deliver a religious high. Brady recalls witnessing "The Catch" from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark at Candlestick Park as a small boy in 1982.
"I'll never forget watching 'The Catch' in Candlestick Park with my dad. I was four years old, in awe of it all," Brady said in a statement.
"In a lot of ways, I've dedicated my life to replicating that feeling. Now, playing on the same stage as my childhood idols, I'm fortunate to have a pretty unique perspective on football and the sports world. I can think of no better vehicle than 'Religion of Sports' to share some of what I've learned and dig a little deeper into that feeling, the sort of spiritual experience that sports creates for players and fans alike."
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Sporting News caught up with Strahan during a preview screening of the six-part series from the AT&T Entertainment/DirecTV Audience Network.
We asked the former Giants defensive end if teammate David Tyree's game-changing, one-handed catch of an Eli Manning pass against the crown of his helmet at Super Bowl XLII in 2008 qualified as a "miracle." After all, Tyree's catch, with Rodney Harrison of the Pats hanging off his back, enabled the Giants to upset the 18-0 Patriots.
David Tyree's catch in Super Bowl XLII. (Getty)
But the new co-host of ABC's "Good Morning America," who retired for a career in TV after earning his Super Bowl Ring, still bleeds Big Blue.
"Man, that was not a miracle, that was a catch," Strahan said with a laugh.
Hey, wasn't Strahan captured like a preacher on the sidelines saying "believe and it will happen," during the Giants game-winning drive?
"If you believe, it's not a miracle. It's a fact. And it was a fact for us," said Strahan. "Thank God!"
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Dan Patrick, host of NBC's "Football Night in America" and his own "Dan Patrick Show," said he's interviewed athletes who thanked their Lord and savior Jesus Christ before they even answered a question.
And there's athletes who openly wear religion on their sleeves like Tim Tebow, he noted. Or former Giants tight end Mark Bavaro, who would genuflect and make the sign of the cross in the end zone after scoring a touchdown.
"You can't criticize it because it's religion," Patrick said. "I think that's that gray area. If you're going to go into it, where are you going? And what can you say that you're not criticizing somebody's religious beliefs?
Besides "Religion of Sports," the Audience network's programming includes: "The Dan Patrick Show," "The Rich Eisen Show" and "Undeniable with Joe Buck."
