Sports and Religion Preview

           Sports and institutionalized religion are like twins who were separated at birth. Every Sunday they join together for the traditional day of church in the morning and NFL football in the afternoon. While both activities may not seem related at all, a closer look at their purposes may reveal that they’re not so separate. Whether you’re sitting in pews or bleachers, you’re a spectator in search of something more. Both sports and religion can provide this by giving people a sense of purpose, uniting, people, and giving people hope.

            Distinguishing the line between god and institutionalized religion is very important in understanding the comparison. While many people automatically connect god with religion, they are not synonyms. By definition religion is simply: a particular system of faith and worship (Oxford Dictionary). Religion attempts to connect us to the divine power of God. By doing so, it brings together many families and members of a community in one place for the same purpose: worship. It’s the actual act of coming together that provides a connection. The man in the pew becomes strikingly similar to the spectator sitting in the stands rooting on their favorite professional team.

             A prime example of institutionalized religion becoming a spectator sport can be seen in The Confessions of St. Augustine translated by Rex Warner. By Book III, St. Augustine reaches a low point in his relationship with god. He turns to the Manichee faith, which is a heretical version of Christianity. In this situation, Christianity has been tampered with and deviated from to create the institutionalized religion run by the Manichee’s. For ten years Augustine searches for salvation and his purpose through this religion. Rejection of the book of Genesis, treating God as a being, and putting struggles on God were all characteristics of this religious sect that ate away at Augustine’s soul. It was ten unhappy years as he found himself chasing faith in a “false” religion. Although he ended up with god, his journey was rocky. Augustine taught us that once you begin to center your life around certain religions, you’re trying to find your purpose in the wrong areas. You’re on the outside of your relationship with god, looking in just like a spectator in stands. This search of purpose in the wrong places is all too familiar in the world of sports.

 The search of purpose in the wrong places is all too familiar in the world of sports.

When people stray away from a personal relationship with god, there’s a lost and lonely feeling. Both sports and institutionalized religion attempt to fill this void. Personally, I love sports but I realize that it’s only a game. In our world today, sports has turned into more than just a game. The famous quote, “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,” sums up how the importance of winning has overshadowed the meaning of life. Often, fans will place their hopes and purpose in the hands of a sports team even though they have no stake in the team. 




… This is a part of my religion and sports, I'm still working on sports and politics or sports and business. I took a turn with institutionalized religion based off of a book review I read that reminded me of Augustine.