read the article above.
Whenever a society (or, here, sports subculture) worships a divine form, it is, in fact, also simultaneously worshipping itself.
the post-game celebration and day-after parades, with its feverish outpouring of emotion—all that hugging and high-fiving, those deafening howls and blubbery weeping—might look like chaotic disorder but it is actually a rare moment of social order: a glimpse of spontaneous solidarity, an interlude of uninhibited integration. This is not to excuse the excess of vandalism or violence that often accompanies the effervescence; the same social norms that maintain chilly anonymity in day-to-day modern life also serve to uphold law and decorum.
It makes a convincing case that sports have replaced religion.
- It gives people’s lives meanings
- It is tribal.
- It has totems and rituals
- It has holy objects – like Curt Schillings bloody sock or “holy” fields like Wrigley Field in baseball.
I think sports have elements that are also found in religions, but that sports in and of themselves are not a religion. I think the moral code is a big piece that is missing.
I believe if sports had a moral code it would be close to replacing religion however it would have to remove the influence of money on sports and instill a moral code.
I would argue that sports can be a religion for many even though it may not possess all the defining characteristics of religion outlined in the article by Austin Cline.
In our home “Steelerism” is alive and well and despite the fact that your father has not lived in Pittsburgh for nearly 40 years, he is a member of this sect (as is your 89-year-old grandmother who religiously watches every Steeler game).
Others have posted that sports lacks a moral code – I would argue there is one, though the not necessarily honored by everyone at all times, but what religious moral code is honored by all members of that religious group.
I look forward to hearing your perspective on this question and continuing the discussion.
Sports are not a religion because they don’t pursue a belief in a supernatural being. I believe that the belief in a supernatural being, is the basis of religion. Religion is more then a game and thats not to say it’s a good or bad thing
I’d definitely argue that sports is just a game to its fans. But I agree with you that it is not a religion even though in many ways for many people it has replaced religion.
To me, sports is not a religion because no field, shirt, jersey, or player can be holy, no matter what standard it upholds. In most religions there are stories about the higher ups doing something that is per say unnatural or not possible and no stadium/human being has done that to be proven supernatural.
While I can see similarities between America’s obbcession with pro ball, I don’t consider it a religion. I understand that there is “religious” gerb like jerseys, and people gather to watch, and there are big celebrations on the most important games, but it lacks the holiness to be considered a religion. There is no G-D in football, and while people do care alot about it it has never created wars (rivalries yes, but not murderous wars). To qualify as a religion in my oppinion, the group must have defined holiness, and sacred rituals, not just football superstitions. I personally like the comparison but i think very religious people would be offended by it.
Based on certain definitions of religion one could argue that sports are a religion, but based on my beliefs I would say they are not. Religon and sport fandom share some characteristics such as rituals, but I do not think that is enough to qualify as a religion. I think it has become a term that is just thrown around like “music is my religon”. I don’t think people mean that literally though. I think they are saying that it is very important to them just like religion is very important to them or to other people.
To me sports are definitely not a religion. Although it is commonly said that it is, there is nothing holy in anything in sports. There is no higher power/figure that we worship. Even though some may say that a star pither is “like a G-d,” it is certainly not true. As much as I love sports and wish that they were my religion, they just aren’t.
I think Sports can be a religion if one wishes that. In sports there can be curses on certain teams or cites that punish them and they don’t do something important like the Curse of the Great Bambino. In that curse, the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees and that curse made them not win the world series for nearly a century. Religions don’t need to have a greater being that controls your fate, they don’t need to have characteristics that most religions have. In religions, people have feasts to celebrate holidays like Christmas. In sports, people also have feasts and they also celebrate something. In religions, people decorate their houses for celebrations. For sports, people decorate their houses too to celebrate something special like if your team won the Super Bowl. Overall, I do think sports can be a religion.
Super point about the curse of the Bambino- it was like an religious story- for Red Sox Fans.
Although I can definitely see some aspects of religion in sports, I think there is something missing. I agree that believing in God or other supernatural being is important to religion. I think the deeper part of religion is what’s missing from the picture.
As seen in Austin Cline’s work, you’ll note that sports lack a few of the characteristics that define a religion. The article claims that it gives their life meaning, but how does it do that? Without a moral code, and an explanation of their purpose or it’s relations to their makeshift deity there is no way to say it gives their life meaning. They also don’t interact or ‘communicate’ with sports. There is no direct connection even attempted between the sports or the players of said sports, they don’t try to pray to them and the only sacrifice they make is their time and possibly money but that wasn’t asked for, and is not regarded in anyway.
Sports are not a religion. There may be a fandom to sports and people who follow it, but there is one thing off: the competition. There is no competition in religion, no hope that your team will win in religions. There are also not different teams in religions. There are different teams competing to be the best in sports. It may have some characteristics, but it does not qualify as a religion to me.
I would think religions do compete with each other. Most religions say they are right and everyone else is wrong and some religions actively try to convert people from the “wrong” religion to the “right” religion. What do you think?
I think that sports isn’t a religion although it can bring a sense of community like religion can. being a fan of a sports team is not the same as believing in a god or something spiritual and I think that is important to have in religion.
I don’t think sports are a religion. Some of the biggest fans of sports might do things that are similar to religion, but they only have a couple of the characteristics mentioned in Cline’s definition of religion. That isn’t enough to be considered one. When people wear clothes with team logos on them, it is only to show which team they root for and want to win, not some sort of tribal tradition.
I can see a connection of similarities between sports and religion but I don’t think it is true. Sports are not a religion. Rituals are practiced in both religion and sports but it isn’t holy. I love sports, don’t get me wrong, but it is very different between G-d and someone or a team you care about a lot.
Although sports and religion do have similarities such as rituals and traditions I feel football is still a sport and not a religion. The Eagles franchise is not a higher power that you pray to solve your problems. Sports are very different from religion and it will never truly associate itself with it.
Sports share many characteristics with religion, especially ones found in “Defining the Characteristics of Religion.” Sports fans that heavily follows sports can easily claim sports as their religion. These people have superstitious rituals, have social congregations, and have religious feels when their team wins or loses.
I dont see footbal as a religion. The ways i do not see football as a religion is because there is no rules or gods to follow while watching football. Another reason why i do not believe that football is a religion is because there is no wrong team to root for but this also this ties into religion because there is also no wrong religion to believe in. I think wearing the same jersey to root for your team every week is a superstition not a religion.