OT: Are sports a new religion?

This is an interesting article about the nature of sports and fandom and the role they play in society. I have to say it described my following of the Angels pretty well. It's very ritualistic: Monday - Friday is pretty much work, go home and eat/do chores, watch Angels game, late night TV, bed.

What do you think, brothers and sisters?

about 2 years ago Commander_Nate 18 comments 0 recs |

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Can people become so obsessed with it to a point it consumes them?

Yes. Is there blasphemy?
From time to time.
Who is our savior/messiah?
Raptor Jesus.

Checks out pretty clear to me.

They want power. We want respect...

by SenorChuckles on May 25, 2010 9:43 AM PDT reply actions

Football is more of a religion

You only think about it on Sunday

"Fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless" - Kenny Powers

by DAD OF VLAD on May 25, 2010 10:02 AM PDT reply actions

Yeah, but we watch the Angels almost every day.

Or at least I do.

"You gotta have nuts." / "Coming Around 3rd, especially if I'm ticked off, that's going to happen." - Torii Hunter

by Commander_Nate on May 25, 2010 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions

NEW?

Sports is an old religion

by Rev Halofan on May 25, 2010 11:20 AM PDT reply actions

Absolutely!

This seemed like a rather poorly researched article to those of us who are versed in ancient history. Relating sports with religion is anything but new as the former often served as a function of the later. Everything from the Greek games (such as the Olympics) to nearly every gladiatorial contest held at the Roman Coliseum were all closely tied to religious festivals. Even the Paleolithic wall paintings in the caves at Lascaux depict mock hunts (the forerunner to all sports) as a part of a shamanistic rite.

"All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."

by Quad Fin Rider on May 25, 2010 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions

I think what's somewhat new about this idea...

…is that sports in some ways are beginning to supplant religion and the roles it plays in the lives of an increasing amount of people. I don’t think the article was trying to present sports and religion as intermingled, because that’s obviously a fairly old idea as you point out.

I know that among myself and many of my friends, we are far more dedicated in following our sports teams than whatever faith we might have been raised with. From what I’ve seen this extends to a seizable portion of society that has come to view sports with great importance independent of anything else. I think this is a relatively new phenomonen that the article is trying to point out.

"You gotta have nuts." / "Coming Around 3rd, especially if I'm ticked off, that's going to happen." - Torii Hunter

by Commander_Nate on May 25, 2010 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Correlation does not imply causation

I can understand that you and your friends may spend more time following sports than sitting in a church, but are they really "substitutes" for one another as the linked article implies? Have you ever known a rational person who was truly locked in a moral dilemma of whether to believe in God or their favorite sports team? I think there’s plenty of evidence to show that sports and religion were once closely related and even share a common origin, but does that necessarily mean that a linear relationship must exist between these two things? Does devotion to one naturally negate devotion to the other? I think this study is fundamentally flawed because it seems to be based entirely on this logical fallacy. Just because an increase in the popularity of sports coincidentally correlates with a simultaneous decline in the popularity of religion does not automatically imply that one must have caused the other.

"All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."

by Quad Fin Rider on May 25, 2010 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't mean to imply that sport is causing a decline in religion

I don’t think the article meant that either. What I took from it was that sport was simply replacing some of the roles religion played in some people’s lives. It’s well-known that there’s been a steady decline in religious following in the Western World and at the same time, there’s been a rise in mega-sports and other forms of mass entertainment. I don’t think the latter is a cause of the former, but I think it’s safe to say that in some ways it’s become a replacement.

No, I don’t think anyone faces a dilemma of whether to believe in their God or their favorite team. Those aren’t exactly the same beliefs anyway. However, I do think it’s fairly safe to say that more people are choosing to participate in sporting events to relieve stress and find an escape from daily life rather than going to church or temple like they might have a few decades ago. Sports isn’t the only thing people choose either.

I’m not saying sports and other things that attract fans are causing religion to decline – I’m saying that religion, for whatever reason, has been declining and sports, etc seem to have become an alternative in some respects.

"You gotta have nuts." / "Coming Around 3rd, especially if I'm ticked off, that's going to happen." - Torii Hunter

by Commander_Nate on May 25, 2010 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions