The NBA and NFL have been known to schedule games on Christmas Eve and even Christmas Day itself, and yet, with all of the professional athletes that dedicate their lives to God, not one that I can think of has ever taken a Christmas game off.

Eighty-five percent of the rest of us do. If our jobs are nonessential to daily living (i.e., gas stations, hospitals, etc.), we pretty much kick back and enjoy the holiday. So why don’t professional athletes, especially when there are more than a few of them that make it a point to get down on one knee and praise the Lord after touchdowns?

Meet Shawn Green, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman. He’ll be taking Sept. 26 off while his team is clawing and scratching for a playoff spot with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs.

No, Christmas wasn’t moved up this year. The last Wednesday of the month is Yom Kippur, which means very little to most of America but a great deal to Green, a Jew.

Green announced earlier this week that he will not play on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. That means the cleanup hitter’s .294 average, 41 home runs and 109 RBIs won’t be available to the Dodgers, who play a game at 7:10 p.m. that day against the San Francisco Giants.

Although not particularly devout, Green is proud of his heritage and understands he serves as a role model to the millions of Jews in the U.S.

“It’s something I feel is an important thing to do,” Green said in an ESPN.com story. “Partly as a representative of the Jewish community, and as far as my being a

role model in sports for Jewish kids, to basically say that baseball, or anything, isn’t bigger than your religion and your roots.”

The odd thing is that some believe there may be a fan backlash because Green isn’t playing a game that, if lost, could cost the Dodgers a shot at the postseason.

In this era of family values and the absence of bona fide role models in sports, you would think Green’s decision would be welcomed and applauded. Instead, there is a fear that he will be lambasted by fans.

My question is, would there be the same concerns if Green was planning to sit on, say, Easter? Granted, Easter doesn’t fall in the middle of a pennant race, but Green’s decision shouldn’t be affected by his team’s status. Religion is a personal choice, and it should be respected by all of us. At least, that’s the working theory.

I don’t know why more athletes haven’t taken games off for holidays. Sports leagues and teams couldn’t fine them or punish them. Teammates would understand, or at least they should.

It’s one thing to be there for your team, but it is entirely something else to be there for The Man Upstairs.

Green’s decision shows character, respect and faith. He should get a curtain call for that whether he plays or not.