Brain, Just Because

Is your religious denomination “Football”?

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So, I read a disturbing report in the Washington Post.  Because I think it speaks volumes about America- and maybe even the world.

Phillies Phanatic

First, I should remind you all that I am a devoted Phillies Phanatic.  I have had season’s tickets to the baseball stadium for decades. (No, I never lived in Philly- that’s a whole different story- for another day.)   And, I know that many folks are Michigan Football fans, U of Alabama, Auburn, and/or a slew of professional sports teams.

But, it seems that many folks are substituting their favorite team for the Supreme Being.  Since 1990, Americans non-religious preference has escalated from about 8% to more than 20% nowadays.  While their devoted sports preference has increased to almost 60%! The authors of the article I read (Chris Beneke [Bentley University] and Arthur Remillard [St. Francis University) coined an interesting question:  “Are Americans shifting their spiritual allegiances away from praying places and toward playing places?”

Part of the problem (in my mind) is that too many people think the Supreme Being gives a darn about sports- and, therefore, has a direct involvement in the outcome of the games.  (It’s way more than those prayer huddles- it’s the masses that have the same concept.)

Interestingly, the authors discussed that spiritual leaders were worried about this for way more than a century- going back to the Civil War and before!  The clergy understood that these were distractions (they considered them “needless”- I am not sure I would go that far) and potential pathways to moral turpitude.

Of course, the games were typically played on Sunday- and, remember, that the repeal of our “Blue Laws” [outlawing retail sales on Sundays] is a very recent phenomenon.  (They were prevalent in Boston during my grad school days, for example.   And, in Virginia when I moved there years later.)  But, this attitude shifted, too.  (After all, many a minister leads a prayer rally before sports events.  And, the inventor of basketball- James Naismith- was  Presbyterian minister.)

Is God on your team's side?

Nowadays, the Y (either the heretofore Young Men’s Christian Association or the Young Men’s Hebrew Association) and community centers run by religious sects are almost strictly devoted to recreational sports activities.  Given these new facts, it’s not surprising that the Public Religion Research Institute found that 25% of Americans are more likely to be in church rather than watching football- but 21% say the exact opposite.

Beneke and Remillard posit that sports now keep adherents because they provide a transcendent experience, one that maintains a long-term commitment with those adherents.  They wonder if the attenuation of the competitive nature of religion (Catholics v. Protestants, Christians v. Jews) means that folks must turn to sports to satisfy their competitive urges- leaving their religions behind.

Not that I want to be overridden by the anti-Semitism of my youth (New York area) and my twenties (Charlottesville, VA) if that is true, but I do believe that religion- our belief in the Supreme Being and the moral compass- is critical to our personal success.

What about you?

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19 thoughts on “Is your religious denomination “Football”?”

  2. Well, I certainly know more than one person who crossed from fan to fanatic. Of course, I exclude myself from that category. 😉 Their religion? I suppose that could be; however, as an all-my-life, practicing faith follower, I cannot relate. Then there are some who would use that term, fanatic, on more than one religion follower. 😉

  3. I’m with you on this. I do not think sports is needless – it let’s out aggression that otherwise would be turned to pillaging and plundering the neighboring village – but praying for victory means asking God to favor some of His children over others. Seriously? I don’t buy that.
    David recently posted..Aging Gracefully (You’re How Old?!?)

  4. I believe that sports are only one distraction of many. People no longer have time in their lives for a Supreme Being that requires time be spent to know and try to understand. That might explain why we have so many problems in this world but that is another story. It is a shame. I believe in the saying “No God, No Peace,- Know God, Know Peace.
    Chef William recently posted..Jalapeno Poppers And Chicken Enchilada Casserole

    1. I never heard that saying, Chef William. Thanks for passing it along to me- and anyone else who visits here!
      I also think that sports requires less of an individual than a religion- between practice, moral compass, etc- so it’s the easy (coward’s?) way out.

  5. Well, I can interject a little Southern redneck humor here. I honestly went to a funeral where the deceased was a Tony Stewart fan. She had died on a Friday, he won the race on the Sunday. The funeral was on the Monday. The preacher actually said Tony won the race for her the day before. Now THAT is fan appreciation!
    Carolina HeartStrings recently posted..CROCK POT PIZZA SOUP

  6. People are seeking a sense of belonging and connection to something bigger. And we’ve misdirected it in so many trivial ways. One of them is sports.

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