Recently public interest in the aggressive form of atheism represented by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, and in the religious response to it, seems to have waned.
This half time break gives commentators a chance to grab a pie and sauce, to say who is likely to win and to assess the success of the respective game plans. Casual spectators can also satisfy their curiosity about whether this is a preliminary match or the Grand Final.
Most observers would acknowledge that the Atheist team has won in a few positions on the field. Their aggressive attack on religious belief has appealed particularly to people who have separated themselves from their religious roots, but still feel marginal unease or resentment. They find support for the break they have made in the polemic and in the claim that a scientific world view is sufficient.
The debating skills of the Atheist champions, too, have made some Christians more hesitant in their belief.
Both teams have scored own goals. Catholic players, especially, have been distracted by the scandal of sexual abuse and the deeply rooted clerical attitudes to power that it has disclosed. But by their heavy handed polemic the Atheist team has also alienated many people who see in it the intolerance that it decries in its religious opponents.
The game plan of the Atheist team has been to keep the ball in their forwards and to batter their way downfield, forcing the Religious team to play the game on their terms. They rely on books and lectures by their heavy hitters that draw publicity and debates against weaker opponents.
The Religious team has generally responded by trying to slow the game down and to win penalties for unduly rough play. Interestingly, Dawkins has changed tack in his handsomely produced new book, The Magic of Reality, with its avuncular chiding of religious silliness.
The bookies have set the half-time odds slightly in favour of the Religious team. They are believed to have greater institutional depth. It is feared that the atheist team, which relies strongly on a few individuals, may tire towards the end of a long game.
The status of this game is more interesting. Despite the passion with which it is being fought, the game looks