My Response to "Can we REALLY say sports are religious?"

Marcia decided to tackle the subject of the religious nature of sports. Being as she came to the conclusion that one cannot call sports religious, I decided to respond to some of Marcia's points against the religious nature of sports. Here is that response:

I think you have made some interesting points, but I would like to provide a few counterpoints to your argument.

For one, I don't think God is necessarily needed for something to qualify as religious. Buddhists do not have a "Higher Being," and I don't think that makes them any less religious than any religion with a God.

I cannot refute the fact that there is no life after death for fans. However, there is very much a life after death for the athletes involved. Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Johnny Unitas, Walter Payton, Wilt Chamberlain and Maurice Richard, to name a few, have taken on a mythical status among fans, with their performances having achieved a transcendence that lasts long after their playing days, and lives, are over. This is not afforded every deceased athlete, but it is possible if one puts in enough hard work.

I also disagree in that there are no morals or values present in sports. I learned plenty of values from sports, such as the rewards for hard work and the need to sacrifice in order to achieve greatness. I learned that sometimes winning requires putting the needs of others above your own. I also learned the very important value of teamwork. Values can very much be instilled by sports.

Sports also brings people together. It is rare for a Sunday in the fall to go by without the men in my family – father, brother and myself – gathering around the television to watch football. With the recent birth of my brother's son, I look forward to the day that he will join us in our Sunday ritual. Sports has a way of bringing people together.

Does any of this prove one way or another that sports are religious? I guess I can't really say. I don't think it makes sports not religious. For me, sports is religious. But like any religious experience, I think it is all about what the individual believes.