Arguably the greatest attribute sports gives to the community is unity. Two strangers who support the same team can have conversations like they've known each other all their lives. The connection is fascinating. Supporters sections all over the country show the brotherhood the community shares to come together for one cause: to support their team. Below is a picture of the United States Soccer supports section, and yes I am in that picture (let's see if anyone can find me where's waldo style). Every time I sit in that section, I feel at home. It's a unity unlike any other.
Religion also brings the unity affect. Each week communities unite in one place for a common cause of worship. It's a great atmosphere and also has a brotherhood about it.
The feeling of Unity: it's the biggest similarity between sports and religion.
The feeling of unity--I very much agree. The scholar Rudolf Otto says the power of religion is a "fascinating and terrible mystery"--is there something in that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Otto
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, I will email you a book review I wrote of a book about religion's possibility of being life-affirming or life-denying. Could the same power of sport as religion also help us understand, or at least appreciate, sports related violence? Soccer hooligans and the New Orleans Saints pay-for-hurting program as the dark side of sports' unifying power?
Deletehttp://www.stadiummouse.com/ has some students academic essay about sports and religion, with a good bibliography. It's something you might want to hold off reading until after you draft your piece.
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