As discussed in lecture on Tuesday, all sports are followed by many who experience them as a form of worship. Sports are a different type of experience, which can be unexplainable. The economics of sports reveal alone the incredible popularity of certain sports and sport teams and the foundations’ income as a result of immense patronage. As discussed in lecture, there can only be great revenue and popularity if there is commitment from the fans. It is most obvious that without the fans, the large revenue and even the existence of the teams would be impossible. The question is, how do fans experience sports? Well, to start, one must discuss the three main functions of religion which are:
· Social
· Hermeneutic
· Transcendence
There are certain rites of the game which is not limited to just one sport, which reveals Its social qualities such as chanting, the wave, etc. Also, fans are all conjugated within the stadiums which also highlights the social aspect of the game. Do sports give meaning? Some envision sports as life. It is easy to see how one can incorporate sports into their lives. If fans place such an emphasis on sports in their lives and the possible religious experience it pertains, it would be interesting to see the religious effects of sports in the lives of the players. So, can we really say that sports are religious? What similar characteristics do sports and religion possess?
· Emotions are identical
· Religious experience is beyond reason
· Legacy , rooted in tradition
· Conversion
· Symbolism
· Piety
It is incredibly intriguing to see how some live sport as if it is religion. The parallels between sports and religion are fundamental in observing how Christianity plays an essential part in popular culture, but I do not personally believe that sports can really be religious. Comparing both of these entities is interesting to me, only for comparisons’ sake. To me, sport cannot be religious because there is no presence of God—no presence of a Higher Being and a Creator. Also, there is no promise of life after death, nor are there morals and values which are implemented by sports. After all, sports are just a game which are played between players who get paid millions to what some/most of us do in our spare time.
Hi Marica!
ReplyDeletePlease find my response to your post here :) :
http://lifeisbetterinblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2011/03/response-to-maricas-can-we-really-say.html
Kathleen :)
I think you have made some interesting points, but I would like to provide a few counterpoints to your argument.
ReplyDeleteFor one, I don't think God is necessarily needed for something to qualify as religious. Buddhists do not have a "Higher Being," and I don't think that makes them any less religious than any religion with a God.
I cannot refute the fact that there is no life after death for fans. However, there is very much a life after death for the athletes involved. Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Johnny Unitas, Walter Payton, Wilt Chamberlain and Maurice Richard, to name a few, have taken on a mythical status among fans, with their performances having achieved a transcendence that lasts long after their playing days, and lives, are over. This is not afforded every deceased athlete, but it is possible if one puts in enough hard work.
I also disagree in that there are no morals or values present in sports. I learned plenty of values from sports, such as the rewards for hard work and the need to sacrifice in order to achieve greatness. I learned that sometimes winning requires putting the needs of others above your own. I also learned the very important value of teamwork. Values can very much be instilled by sports.
Sports also brings people together. It is rare for a Sunday in the fall to go by without the men in my family – father, brother and myself – gathering around the television to watch football. With the recent birth of my brother's son, I look forward to the day that he will join us in our Sunday ritual. Sports has a way of bringing people together.
Does any of this prove one way or another that sports are religious? I guess I can't really say. I don't think it makes sports not religious. For me, sports is religious. But like any religious experience, I think it is all about what the individual believes.