Since Frank Deford's famous article "Religion in Sport" was published in Sports Illustrated in 1976, there has been active discussion over the topic of "sports and religion", especially in research fields related to sports studies. Much of this existing work takes one of three thematic approaches: 1) sports as a form of religion; 2) essential differences between sport and religion; and 3) religions and sports as cultural practices. Additionally, drawing from Caputo's question: "who comes after the God of metaphysics?" some researchers indicate that "sport" seems to be an answer. My own work does not enter the boundaries of the above views and arguments concerning sport. Instead, I use an approach building upon Merleau-Ponty and my knowledge of Taoism to explore a new way of understanding sport and religion. My specific concern is with individual athletes and the notion of God present in them. Overall, using these concepts of Merleau-Ponty's "Visible and the Invisible" and the Eastern thoughts of "Tao" or "Emptiness", I argue that we need to return to the traditional wisdom of "know yourself" in order to recognize the athlete who embodies the spirit of God. Hence, this old proverb has new meaning in contemporary transnational society and especially in studies of sport and religion. Using a framework that illuminates the importance of "know yourself", we can philosophically articulate an answer as to why God shows up among athletes.