For sports fans who prefer not to have God or religion invoked any time an athlete does something amazing, Aaron Rodgers is their patron saint. He’s a bit like the anti-Russell Wilson, using dry wit and human frustration in place of placid branding and Bible quoting. Ironic, then, that Rodgers had two separate Hail Marys answered over the course of the 2015 season, first to beat the Detroit Lions in the regular season and later to force overtime against the Arizona Cardinals.
That’s why when Aaron took to Twitter for virtually the first time since the start of the season, it was a bit surprising that he took a religious tone right off the bat:
Have to start my return by thanking @TheTweetOfGod for an exciting season. Tell your sons mother I said thank you for those two throws.
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 16, 2016
Of course, it’s not exactly God he’s thanking — it’s the long-running parody account @TheTweetOfGod. Rodgers is funny, but he’s too popular among too many religious people to have anything but the driest of humor in discussing religion, so a simple nod to someone else’s sardonic take on religion will have to do for Aaron.
Rodgers and Wilson really aren’t too different — both spectacularly driven athletes at the top of their sport, dating women who are famous in their own right. They have laundry lists of reasons never to show a hint of personality, anything that could upset a sponsor or trigger an angry mother’s letter to the editor. They both do excellent jobs at it, but while Wilson’s Tebow-flavored brand of earnest Christianity is undeniably appealing to a large part of the country, Rodgers’ skilled winks at the more cynical make us wish he wasn’t quite so famous, if only to let out the real, entertaining person that is so obviously waiting to come out.
