The fact that major league baseball teams want to attract Christians to their stadiums concerns New York Times baseball writer Murray Chass. These thousands of ticket-buying believers who want to spend money on hot dogs and peanuts and a souvenir or two and then maybe hang around after the last out to listen to a Christian band and hear a couple players give their testimony appear to be a major threat to the game Chass holds so dear. He’s bewildered that even the Jewish owners of the Washington Nationals apparently have no problem with this tainting of the game. For Chass, these “Faith Nights” at the ol’ ballpark need to be legislated out by the powers that be:

The idea has caught on in baseball because clubs want to sell tickets. That’s why Major League Baseball will never halt faith nights. Anything for a few dollars more. But it has no place in baseball. Baseball crowds are made up of people of all faiths and no faith. No segment should be singled out.

It doesn’t matter to Chass that these special Faith Night events take place either well before or after the actual games, or that in this age of celebrating diversity that Christians ought to be celebrated, too. But maybe Chass is right; with all the foul-mouthed, drunken fans that usually end up sitting around you and your family, who’d want a bunch of Christians in the stands to spoil the party?