Nearly three in 10 Americans believe God plays a role in the outcome of sporting events, including the upcoming Superbowl this weekend.

A study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in the US says 27 per cent of Americans believe God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event, while 53 per cent believe God rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success.

The number of those who believe in God’s sporting prowess varies significantly across denominations. Check out the graph.

In the lead up to Superbowl Sunday (or Monday, for Aussies), watched by some 167 million people last year, it seems many Americans will be looking for expressions of public faith on the football field. Fifty per cent of Americans approve of athletes expressing their faith publicly by thanking God during or after a sporting event, compared to only 4 per cent of disapprove. Nearly half (45 per cent) said it doesn’t matter.

Whether you’ll see more ‘Tebowing’ or pointing to the heavens after a touchdown, 26 per cent of Americans are still more likely to be at church on any given Sunday, compared to the 17 per cent who said they’d most likely be watching the football. Twenty-one per cent said they do both.

With Superbowl 2013 touted to be the most watched sporting event in American history and 44 per cent of Americans saying it’s ‘very likely’ they’ll be watching this Sunday, it’s church versus football this weekend.

Image: Flickr/beefy_n1