6-8 Pages. 12 point font. MLA How is sport like religion? What are the key differences and similarities? Please use references using the attached articles with citations.
The Joy of Sports, Michael Novak
Chapter 2 Sport as Religion
The main thesis: sport is to be considered as a religion.
Novak, “I am saying that sports flow outward into action from a deep natural impulse that is radically religious' (19).
Why? What features of sport are like a religion? Depends on what we mean by 'religion'...
Religion is often equated with an all-powerful creator deity, who is responsible for the creation of the world and has power over it and over humans. Christianity and Islam are two such religions.
Clearly sport is not like religion in this sense.
But note that there other belief systems typically identified as religions that are not like this – Buddhism, for example. Buddhism does not posit the existence of a transcendental God who exists outside of the world he created.
But sport does display other features of religion. What are these other features?
Novak: 'an impulse of freedom, respect for ritual limits, a zest for symbolic meaning, and a longing for perfection.' (19)
What might these mean? Some possible interpretations:
Sport as Freedom. An escape from the mundane routine of everyday life -- something which is not enjoyable. In contrast, sport allows an individual escape, at least temporarily, from the rules demands that exist in the realms of work, family and so on.
Symbolic meaning. Most people seek meaning in their own lives, and some objects and actions are seen as more than just objects or actions – they 'point to' or 'hint at' something greater than the bare object or action itself.
For example, a signed baseball is just a baseball with some writing on it, but it doesn't appear like that. It links its possessor to the career of a great player, to the history of a club, and of the game. In this way, the scared object links sports fans to something greater, and possibly even something more meaningful than his or her individual life. This is also a feature of religions – the creation of a link between the individual and something greater, such as a realm of eternal life or deathless heroes and saviours.
Perfection. Perfection is an unnatural state – most things in the world are flawed or imperfect in some way. But there are moments in life when what happens seems perfect – things go especially well; or, in sporting terms, a play or rally or move is executed unusually well (See JS chapter 1 and the story of George Blanda's winning drives).
Similarly, some religion is based around the idea of perfection. God, for example, is understood as the perfect being – capable of creating the perfect world, which humanity has somehow degraded. The appeal of what is perfect is a thus a feature of sport and religion.
Other senses of religion found in sport
Asceticism and discipline. Compare the training regime of a top athlete with a period of fasting and abstinence that precede the celebration of some religious festivals.
Respect for the limits of human control. In spite of careful preparation, sporting contests are sometimes decided by matters of luck or fate. Athletes are injured at inopportune moments, make unexpected and basic mistakes; the weather may intervene; the coin toss can influence the result. This echoes the idea that humans cannot understand the actions of a divine being, and nor can they explain or control certain events in the world – such as natural disasters.
Destiny. Sometimes players believe they were destined to win or lose, just as people believe their lives have been determined by an outside force such as a deity.
Reverence. In the sporting world, reverence is a common feature. Fans revere players, sporting greats are revered for their contribution to the game. In more familiar religious contexts, reverence is also common – for the power of God, for the sanctity of human life, etc.
Ritual. Sporting life is often sustained by ritual. The national anthem is sung before games; teams have a mascot; individual fans have a gameday ritual. This emphasis on ritual – and how it creates the symbolic meaning noted above – mirrors religion. One classic example of ritual in religion is the Catholic mass, featuring hymns, prayers, the consecration of hosts, etc.
Other points to note:
Religion as a something that provides a focus for motivation, intellect and passion (Novak 20). Certain things (issues, ideals, practices) strongly motivate people; they are prepared to act for these things, to discuss them, to defend them when attacked (verbally or otherwise). Sport is one such thing, as are more formal religions.
More importantly, people are prepared for the sake of these things to put their physical body in danger, or even to risk death. The ideal or the value appears to the individual to be more important that their own body. Sport can have this on people’s behavior – think of the sacrifice required of athletes for their team – risking injury, playing with injury, etc. Compare with formal religions: risking persecution for one's beliefs, etc.
Chapter 3 The Metaphysics of Sport
The place of work in American life. Novak: the influence of Protestant culture within American society has led to a great emphasis on hard work and personal responsibility. This, in turn, serves the aim of making the world better (through working hard).
However, Novak believes we should be more critical of the ubiquitous call to work and the elevated status assigned to it in everyday life. It is one possible value, but not the only or supreme one.
Novak claims that play is a more natural state. However, we have been conditioned or socialised to look upon play as a dirty word, a triviality vastly inferior to the virtue of hard work.
Novak further defends the value of play by suggesting that the call to work hard is based on a false justification – that doing so will make the world better. He suggests that, while the world is certainly changing and new forms of good appear, there is little evidence that humanity is really getting better.
Instead, he believes that new forms of good are accompanied by new problems or evils, and that the underlying human condition remains unchanged. We still love, act cruelly, generously, indifferently, honestly, dishonestly, etc, just as in earlier times.
This being so, the huge emphasis placed on work, as a means to improve the world, is misguided.
We should pay more attention to the value of play, including sports.
Sport and the virtues
Consider the common virtues that we hope most people will come to exhibit: honesty, courage, a concern for those around one. Take courage as an example. Novak's idea is that sport is perhaps the primary, or at least the most instructive way, young people can learn courage. Taking part in physical exercise, including both physical contact and physical exertion (such as having to run fast, where the risk of injury is greater), is a key way in which people become brave or courageous.
Can you think of some examples that illustrate the point? In what other ways do the young learn to be courageous?
Other virtues or values learned through sport are, according to Novak, authenticity (learning to use one's own distinctive skills and trusting one's judgment in sport), perseverance, the ability to cope with failure and defeat.
Note in general how Novak makes a strong connection between engagement in sport and character development. This delivers a strong judgment about those who have no interest in sport...
Gender issues in JS
Novak repeatedly makes a distinction between male and female in the texts. For example, in the introduction he praises his wife for accepting his love of sports while not herself being a fan; in chapter 3, he talks about a male bonding that sports make possible and which is not so readily available among women.
How would you assess Novak's treatment of or sensitivity to gender in the book? Is he right that men and women might experience and value sports differently? For example, do you think that men and women have different views of the value of competition – with, for example, men more incline to compete but women more wary of the consequences of it?
