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Introduction-SportandReligion
tifulinandofitself,andhighachievementinsport,onceitisreached,can
neverbetakenawayfromus.Itispartofourbeing.Ithasextendedus10.
13
SportssociologistHarryEdwards,talkingaboutfeaturesthatsport
hasincommonwithreligions,coversconsiderablegrounddeclaring:
Sporthasabodyofformallystatedbeliefs,acceptedonfaithbygreatmasses
ofpeople[ł]Sportalsoitsusaints”-thosedepartedsoulswhointheirlives
exemplifiedandmademanifesttheprescriptionsofthedogmaofsport[ł]
Sportalsohasitsrulingpatriarchs,aprestigiousgroupofcoaches,manag-
ers,andsportsmenwhoexercisecontrollinginfluenceovernationalsports
organizations[ł]Sporthasitsugods”-starandsuperstarathleteswho,
thoughpowerlesstoaltertheirownsituations,wieldgreatinfluenceand
charismaoverthemassesoffans.Sporthasitshighcouncils,controlledor
greatlyinfluencedbypatriarchswhomakeandinterprettherulesofsports
involvement[ł]Sporthasitsscribes-thehundredsofsportsreporters,
sportstelecastersandsportsbroadcasters[ł]Sporthasitsuseekersofthe
kingdom”
,itstruebelievers,devoteesandconverts[ł]Sporthasitsshrines
-thenationalhallsoffameandthousandsoftrophyrooms[ł]Sportalso
hasitsuhousesofworship”spreadacrossthelandwheremillionscongre-
gatetobearwitnesstothemanifestationoftheirfaith[ł]Sporthasits
usymbolsofthefaith”-thetrophies;gameballs;thebats,baseballs,andso
forth...11
TedescriptionbyCatherineL.Albanese,historianofreligion-
whichfocusesonAmericansport-containssomeoftheabove-pre-
sentedelements:
therearemanywaysinwhicheventhesportsofthecontemporaryUnit-
edStatesarelike(extraordinary)religiousrituals.Likethem,sportsevents
markoutaseparateareafortheiractivities-auplayground”orsacred
space.Bothtraditionalreligiousritualsandsportsdividethetimeoftheir
performancefromtheordinarypassageofminutesandhours.Inboth,peo-
pletakeonassignedroles,ofenwearingspecialsymbolicclothingtodis-
tinguishthemfromnonparticipants.Sportsanddeliberatereligiousrituals,
throughtheirperformances,createuother”worldsofmeaning,complete
withtheirownrulesandboundaries,dangersandsuccesses.Finally,in
sportsanddeliberatereligiousrituals,thegoaloftheactivityistheactivity.
Playorritualissatisfyingforitsownsake12.
10
M.Novak,Foreword,p.xi.
11
H.Edwards,SociologyofSport,TeDorseyPress,Homewood,Illinois1973,pp.261-262.
12
C.L.Albanese,America:ReligionsandReligion,Wadsworth,Belmont,CA,1999,p.295.
