namely that the catholic church was the only "institution" not to abandon the urban poor, and, that parochial education includes sports as a vital component of developing one's mind, body, and soul. that approach is also why catholic schools tend to beat the hell out of people on the football field in just about every large metropolitan area. Maxpreps semi-recently ranked the toughest divisions in all of high school football, and 7 of the top 10 were catholic leagues. My alma mater Detroit Catholic Central and the Detroit CHSL placed 5th.

http://www.maxpreps.com/m/article.aspx?articleid=134e29db-dace-40fd-b75e-560ecb3fd06e

that doesn't even include a bunch of legit powerhouses from Toledo, Louisiana, Pittsburgh, Cleveland et al

also, in a tangential relation, in some cities church gyms have traditionally been the hub of elite pickup run. Detroit's St Cecilia's is probably the most high profile of those. Gus Johnson, an alter boy there, credits watching those games as a kid with his love of the sport.

i personally "lost my faith" shortly after college, but ill beat the drum for catholic education until the day i die.