The Sports Of Sports And Religion

Sports are something that everyone in the world, regardless of age, sex, or nationality, can enjoy. Whether it's a child playing in his first t-ball game or a professional athlete swimming in the Olympics and everyone in between, sports can connect almost everyone. Fan support and overall devotion for athletic competition has raised professional athletes to superstars and national icons; Super Bowl Sunday is a national holiday to some, and sports are one of the largest moneymakers in the economy.

Have you ever wondered how two athletes with two different faiths can change their own lives by their ways of living? Eric Liddell was a Scottish runner and a faithful Christian. On the other hand, Harold Abraham was a British runner and a Jew who struggled to change other people’s thought of Jews. Both of these men ran in the 1924 Olympics for different purposes. The movie “Chariots of Fire” showed how Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams differed from one another. Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams were different in their faith, economic status, and their motivations.

In this interview, Stoney Pryor, who is a College Station High School coach, was able to define religion, explain how athletes use religion in their sport, and explain how coaches use religion while on and off the field. When it comes to religion, some people follow a certain religion, and other do not, so you must accommodate how to work with both views. Religion affects players in how the act during a game (i.e. a bad call on a player and the way he/she reacts) and how coaches act during a game (i.e. talking to the officials after a bad call.) Pryor also mentions how being a part of a public school, there are some things that involve religion that he is discouraged to do because it may offend someone. Religion can also help character development, meaning one would become an over all “better person” because of the way his/her religion affects the way the act in front of others.

In Chapter 10 of Religion and Popular Culture in America, Joseph L. Price attempts to show sports as an example of popular culture as religion, because of its ability to shape the engagement of their fans and the fan’s environments. Although the majority of fans do not see sports as coming close to being a religion, Price gives several compelling reasons as to why sports are religion.

In our society sports are a very important social construction. As sports continue to grow, they are becoming more integrated into the major spheres of social life. Sports have become an entity, due to the fact that they not only create entertainment and jobs; sports have become a huge platform for various causes. Sports are extremely important to our society and have very powerful influences. Though experiences vary from person to person, most people have some sort of experience with sports. I personally have experienced sports more from the spectator and participant stance, and have been impacted from each perspective a great deal. Compared to sophomore safety, Jamal Adams my sports experience has been very different from impact and perspective.

Sport is a global phenomenon, it is a common between all the nations of the world there is not one culture that has not engaged in a way or another in some type of sporting activity; such activities are not only often physically challenging and mentally stimulating – they also provide a sense of belonging and personal meaning to people’s lives. In American culture like many other cultures worldwide winning is highly prized and cherished by fame and money from audiences and sponsors.

1..An American Apotheosis, written by Joseph L. Price, discusses the religious element of sports. His thesis, “For tens of millions of devoted fans throughout the country, sports constitute a popular form of religion by shaping their world and sustaining their ways of engaging it.” (Price, p. 196) Takes on the difficult challenge of defining sport as religion. This is done through Price’s exploration of how sports shape and engage the world for the millions of devoted fans in America, how sports enable participants to explore levels of selfhood, how sports establish a means for bonding with the devotee community, how sports model ways to deal with fate while playing by the rules and how sports provide the prospect of experiencing abundant life.

Sports has always been an essential and aspect of American society, it plays an incredible important role in most Americans lives. As well as economy boost by billion every year, sports are known to increase community spirit, give players a greater sense of purpose, even gives young athletes fundamental life skills and more. For sports to remain a positive image in America, there are at least 10 ways to improve sports in American Society. In this proposal I will explain 10 ways to improve sports in American Society by addressing the issue and a way to cure the issue in society.

To many people, a sports game is just another thing to watch on the weekend with a group of friends cheering on your favorite team and hoping they come away from the game with the big win. To Jamie Ogden, his life revolves around sports. “Sports has always been a big part of my life.” states Jamie. His interest in sports started at a young age while watching his older brother play basketball and baseball. “I would go out and just sit and watch him practice in the driveway.” The other thing that helps clear his mind is his faith in Christ. “Faith is a huge part of my life. It is incorporated in everything I do.” While growing up, both sports and faith in Christ gave Jamie a way to make his dreams about playing professional baseball a reality.

In the Article, “Professional Athletes Should Not Engage in Excessive Religious Expression,” author Jonathan Zimmerman believes that religious expression should not be involved in sports. When most players express Christian faith, it alienates other religions. Schools banned religious acts, so should sports. Zimmerman thinks that if other faiths practiced their religion on the field, the news announcers wouldn’t celebrate them as men of faith. He believes there is favoritism to one religion over the others. Zimmerman says the problem isn’t their religion but assuming that everyone follows the Christian belief.

Sport plays a huge role in today’s society. It contributes to one’s health and fitness, social interaction, social and motor skills, patriotism, fun and entertainment. It also stimulates the economy and tourism leading to interaction between different cultures, for example the Olympics, and sport role models. Sports clearly are an important part of cultures and societies around the world as such events as the Olympics

Sports have been around for centuries, dating back to 776 BC with the first Olympic Games. Ancient civilizations like the Egyptian, Greeks and Mayans all had a sport they enjoyed taking part in. They were created to bring people together and help them settle disputes or conflicts in an organized manner. Great leaders of the ancient world saw a fascination in sports and made it part of their reign to promote the human’s natural competitiveness. Since then, new sports have emerged and also new reasons for one to play. New sports evolve every day all over the world. Everywhere in social media and magazines you will find images of famous athletes and their achievements. Not much history has been left behind by these famous civilizations except for some cave paintings and stories passed down through generations. However, these sports have helped new ones all over the world flourish and the competitive aspect has been kept intact with some modifications to minimize some of its historical brutality.

Sports, admittedly, have had a huge impact on our culture. Some of us even use sports as an excuse to gather our family for some quality time with each other, whether they just hangout for the sake of entertainment or engage in a meaningful conversation full of fervid passion when discussing spectacular plays, athletes, and coaches. However, people talk about the multitude of positive traits that sports are associated with, one must be informed about the abundance of issues that sports face; issues that keep sports from being what we want it to be- free from malicious intent and more along the lines of a peaceful collaboration perpetuated by authentic equality; coming together to proclaim our love for the game. Inequality, for example, is

The period of 1865 to 1950 was critical to the formation of “Modern” sport that is recognized today. In an article by Allen Guttmann titled From Ritual to Record: the nature of modern sport, Guttmann outlines seven characteristics that played a central role in the development of sports. These concepts were created as a sociological history of sports and took into place both American and European competitions. Guttmann’s notions of secularism, rationalization, bureaucracy and quantification, among others, all advanced the culture of sports; yet the most important of the stated characteristics is equality.

In America, despite the number of people who attend church and participate in religious activities, you could assume sports are the new religion. There's the seasonal NASCAR on Sundays and Monday night football, but most sports such as, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey hold their events on any given day of the week. Many Americans arrange their schedules to either attend or watch these events on television. You could even go so far as to say Americans idolize athletes and sports stars, considering the billions of dollars spent on sporting events and merchandise. We?re very proud of sports and proudly wear our favorite team or player across our chests, on our heads, and display logos on our cars and in our houses.