Sports as a Religion

I believe that watching sports is the number one prominent religion in the United States. The reason I believe in this is that what church would you find 100,000 people in a stadium on a Sunday. More people partake in sporting events rather than participate in the religion of their choosing, either on a Saturday or Sunday.

In saying this, I believe this not only as a fact as watching the game in person but also on television. How many people do you know partake in parties during playoff seasons such as the Super Bowl for the National Football League, the Final Four for NCAA Basketball, college football bowl season (which last for three weeks) and the World Series for Major League Baseball? Most normal people will watch the Super Bowl but die hard sports fans watch all of these sporting events. Some die hard fans even watch sports that they are not really interested in but just because it is a game to watch.

Some religions have some type of symbolic place or ritual that they go to or participate in. For example, the Jewish people have what is called the “wailing wall” in Jerusalem. Another example is Vatican City. In talking about watching sports as a religion and a ritual that a sports fan will go through is going to Cooperstown, New York to see the Baseball Hall of Fame for baseball fans. Another symbolic place for a sport s fan would be the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A sports fan like in any religion would have a ritual that they go through to prepare for their game. For example, some sport’s fans and players have special clothing that they can only wear to that game. Some fans and players are very superstitious when it comes to their sport. For example, some players will put a certain piece of equipment on first and then followed by the other piece of equipment.

I believe that watching sports does not overpower a person’s religious feelings. I feel that sports are a large part of many people’s lives in today’s world. Religion is a personal opinion for many people but while watching a sporting event this brings many people of all types of ethnicity and religion together as one.