A ppt presented by my former student

1. Sports and Religion
2-FSM-A
Angelico Cruz
Paul Mendinueto
Miguel Nicolas

2. Objectives
• Discuss the following:
• Social institution of religion.
• The relationship between sport and religion.
• The similarities and differences between sport and
religion.
• The role of prayer in sport.
• The secularization and sports.

3. The Social Institution of
Religion

4. The Institution of Religion
• Origins:
• The struggle of humanity to survive
• This allowed humans to create tools that would help humans to rise
above the food chain
• Thirst for answers to life’s dilemmas
• Lacking scientific knowledge, humans personified nature, creating a
universe of spirits that were responsible to natural phenomena
(Prebish, 1993).
• Earliest form of religion
• Totemism- using nature as a model of society
• Animism- duality (two aspects, spirit and physical manifestation)

5. The Institution of Religion
• How does this relate to sports?
• Both of the two are taught in the early life through exposure of
the ideas.
• Participation = individuals cultivate more level of sophisticated
level of understanding in religion, as they do in sports.
• Most people who are introduced to sport or religion early in
their life are likely to maintain it throughout their life.

6. However…..
• According to Prebish (1993)
• “Unlike religion, through, the sport cycle really does seem to be working.
There are fewer and fewer adults who have not progressed beyond a child-
like understanding of an ever-increasing variety of sports”.

7. Defining Religion
•Religion:
•“A system of beliefs and ritualistic behaviors which
unite a group of like-minded people together into a
social group who adhere to ideals of spirituality”
(The Sociology of Sports, 2014).

8. Sociological Perspectives on Religion
• Three Sociological Perspectives:
• Functionalism – an idea that there is a general consensus in values and norms
in society and that all people willingly integrate the prevailing sentiments into
their lives.
• Conflict – prevailing norms and value of society’s institutions, including
religion, are forced upon the members of society that do not adhere to a
given religious belief
• Symbolic Interactionism – how people interact with one another through the
use of symbols.

9. Functions of religion
• Religion Provides Order and Meaning to Life.
• Helps to provide structure and order in the daily lives of adherents
• Psychological Support.
• Function of religion that provides needs psychologically to its followers through emotional and
spiritual support
• Self-Esteem and Identity
• Affirmation of social status
• Social Solidarity and Integration
• As religion continues to alter the identities of individuals, a community of like-minded people forms.
• Ceremonies of Status
• Ritualistic behavior among group members reaffirms the social solidarity between them.
• Social Control
• Set of rules (The Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule)
• Provision of Holiday
• Days that are reserved as special days.

10. The Relationship Between
Religion and Sport

11. The Relationship Between Religion and Sport
•According to Emile Durkheim that the relationship
between sport and religion is SOCIOLOGICAL rather
than psychological or biological.
• Because of its ritualistic behavior and use of symbols
•Charles Prebish believes that because of the
ritualistic behavior and use of symbolic language,
sport can be qualified as a religion.

12. The Relationship Between Religion and Sport
•HOW IS SPORT A RELIGION?
•They are organized institutions, institutions,
disciplines, and liturgies and they teach religious
qualities of the heart and soul (Novak, 1993).
•SPORT GIVES MEANING TO A PERSON’S LIFE
MUCH LIKE RELIGION AND IT IS ALSO A PRIMARY
WAY TO GIVE IMPORTANCE TO THEIR OWN
EXISTENCE.

13. Similarities Between Sport
and Religion

14. Similarities Between Sport and Religion
• Belief Systems
• Both sport and religion have body of formally stated
beliefs.
• True Believers
• Both have supporters to the ideas of sport or religion.
• Providing Testimony
• Both have people who promote their own respective
institution.
• Patriarchical Dominance
• Both have been dominated by men.

15. Similarities Between Sport and Religion
• The Worship of Saints and Gods and Superstars
• Both have their own worship of their respective ideals in their institutions
• High Councils
• Both have rules and proper behavior that are designed to maintain consistency
within the group
• Scribes
• Both have scribes that maintain the history of the social institutions an promote
public awareness
• Seekers of the kingdom
• Both have hard-core believers and will do anything to reach “the promised land”
• Psychological Support
• Both provides emotional support in times of hardships

16. Similarities Between Sport and Religion
• Pilgrimages to a Shrine
• Both have a destination to guide their paths through life (Stadiums, Mass at the
Vatican, etc)
• Buildings for events
Both of their believers have a place of worship (Churches, Stadiums)
• Use of symbols
• Both can communicate symbolically (using of the rosary for prayer, lighting of the
Olympic torch)
• Written dramas
• Both have their own created dramas to captivate adherents (Playbooks, training
manuals, bible)
• Scheduled Events
• Both have events that keeps people in a routine of ritual

17. Similarities Between Sport and Religion
• Special Days
• Both have special events that would excite the people (Easter, Passover, March Madness,
Super Bowl)
• Collective Emotions
• Both have their own way to share their beliefs and share their emotions collectively
• Ritualistic Behavior
• Both employ intricate rituals that place events in a traditional and orderly view (Sign of the
cross)
• Competitive Nature
• Both have institutions that are different from each other (Which religion is the best or
which sport is the best?)
• Prayer
• Both utilizes prayer to attain favorable outcomes
• Sense of Identity
• Both create a sense of belongingness and it gives meaning to life.

18. The Difference Between
Sport and Religion

19. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
• Sports are Real and Religion is Spiritual
• Religion
• Pays homage to a world that is not visible, no scientific proof.
• Adherents are told to have faith in an entity unseen.
• Sports
• Real, tangible and visible
• Does not need proof of its existence because, its already there.
• Faith to the sport is justified and does not need proof.

20. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
• Sports are a part of the Here and Now
•Religion
•This realm transcends space and time.
•Speaks of the afterlife, world outside of human
confines.
•Sports
•The world of sports provides us with concrete
time and space situations

21. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
• Sports are Materialistically Driven
• Sports
• Money, money and money.
• Sponsorships, advertisements, salaries, and business.
• Materialism and economics play a CRITICAL aspect of sports.
• Religion
• Non-materialistic
• Spirituality and austerity rather than material well-being.

22. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
•Rationalism
•Religion
• Based on spiritual rules and faith and admits its
dependence on the nonrational.
•Sport
• Based on secular, civil rules that are equally applied to
all.

23. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
•Ritualistic behavior is used differently
• It is true that both utilizes rituals HOWEVER:
• Sports
• Rituals are instrumental and goal-oriented.
• Religion
• Rituals are expressive and process-oriented.

24. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
• Buildings for events
• Sports
• Fans/spectators are allowed , and expected to yell and scream in support to their team.
• Stadiums are viewed as secular meeting places where participants can relax and release
inhibitions.
• Religion
• Adherents are expected to abide to moral protocols (eg. being ‘’moved’’ because of
spirituality)

25. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
•Attempts to provide answers to the meaning of
life
•Religion
• Primary goal of religion is to explain the meaning of
life.
•Sport
• It is immersed in the secular, everyday world and
makes no proclamation to explain the meaning of life.

26. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
• Clear-cut winners
• Religion
• Any answers to life’s questions is suspect.
• Different religions may yield different answers.
• No religion has claimed that they are the “winner”.
• Sports
• It provides clear-cut winners.
• There is always a winner and a loser.

27. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
• Choosing a Religion or Sports Team (or Athlete) to
follow
• Religion
• Likely indoctrinated to that specific religion.
• Most likely didn’t had a choice to pick a religion because
of families traditions.
• Sport
• There is freedom in choosing which team/athlete to
support.

28. The Difference Between Sport and Religion
•Public Display of Religious Imagery
•Religion
•Government avoid making public displays of
religious imagery.
•Sports
•Government quickly admires the teams/athletes.

29. The Role of Prayer in Sport

30. The Role of Prayer in Sport
• Both sport fans and athletes have been known to pray for favorable outcomes
• Religious prayer is the preparation for contemplation and discussion with God.
• Prayer is supposed to reduce the obstacle caused by hyperactivity of individuals’ minds and lives. Keating
(1994)
• Religious people who believe in a Higher Power assume that God can do anything.
• Prayers is to be open to infinite possibilities. Keating (1995)
• If God is capable of anything, then certainly influencing the outcome of the game is within the control of
God.
• Prayer is a “logical” path of communication between individuals and God requesting a favorable outcome
• Athlete may pray for safety and protection during competition for a good individual/team performance and
a victory.
• We see athlete point in the air
• Muslims athletes who choose to maintain their Ramadan fast even they still participate in sports
• It’s not just athletes who turn to prayer for a favorable outcome; many sport fans do so as well

31. The Role of Prayer in Sport
• They make proclamations such as “I promise to be a better person just let my team win”
• They bargain with God for spiritual intervention
• 20% of Americans believe that God influences the outcome of Sporting Events (Beneke and
Remillard 2014)
• The role of prayer in school as discussed previously is a fundamental issue in public schools that
carries over in the domain of sports.
• In 1999, a Texas teenager decided not to lead her classmates in prayer before high school football
games because she feared her role in a constitutional battle over prayer in school could get her
expelled.
• The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this year that student-led prayers were allowable at
solemn events like graduations, but the court ruled out prayers before football games.
• There was a survey that asked, “Should prayer be allowed in sport in public schools?”
• A higher percentage of males 70% than female 63% were in favor of public-school prayer in sports
• A number of respondents wrote that they were in favor prayer in public school sports assuming it
was voluntary and not forced onto the team.

32. Secularization and Sports

33. Secularization and Sport
• • The secularization of sport that started during the Roman Empire continued during the Middle
Ages.
• • These were held with great pageantry at the invitation of royalty and displayed the ideals of
chivalry. Such tournaments were limited to the upper classes, but folk games were popular with
the lower classes.
• • The Pre- industrial age (incorporating the Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment) marked
a major period of transition where religious and philosophical debates had an impact upon the
sports being played.
• • Calvinism and Puritanism, for instance, became dominant cultural influences in both Europe and
America, and looked upon sports as frivolous, profane distractions from religious observances.
• • Sports did become popular in universities, which had risen during the Middle Ages, although
officials limited the time students played because they did not want it to interfere with
academics.
• • According to the book in statistics a lot of athletes believe in the positive impact of prayer to
their performance towards a sport but also indicated that some athletes believe in rituals, magic
and superstition rather than following a religious practice.

34. How does religion play a huge role in your life
as Thomasian sports leaders?
• “For me religion played a big role in my life towards
my sport by guiding me and serving as my go to place
to find that inner peace whenever a competition is
about to start. It helped me to think clearly and to
have that sense of empty mind and just focusing on
what really matters which in my case was the Crossfit
competition’’ (Mendinueto, 2020).

35. How does religion play a huge role in your life
as Thomasian sports leaders?
•“For me, coming from a family that is very
religious, religion and prayer played a huge role
during my games in basketball. Prayer gave me a
boost of confidence because it made me feel safe
knowing that I have God by my side everytime I
play on the court” (Cruz, 2020).

36. How does religion play a huge role in your life
as Thomasian sports leaders?
•‘’For me religion is very important. I always
studied in a catholic school ever since. It keeps
me and my team safe during our games and
trainings with the guidance of our prayer. We
pray before and after our games to thank God
for helping us to compete and guiding us to play
safe. That’s the importance of prayer.’’ (Nicolas,
2020).

37. Reference:
•Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2015). The
Sociology of Sports: An Introduction (2nd
ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland &
Company, Inc., Publishers.

38. Thank you for listening!