Hey everyone!
I'm Gotham Chopra and this is Holy Facts, the show where we take you on a tour of the
weirder side of religion and spirituality, from the sacred teachings of George Lucas
to the reincarnation of a World War II pilot.
Put on your cleats, grab your helmet, and don’t forget the juice boxes and orange
slices because today we’re taking a look at the purest, most universal religion of
them all: sports.
Take a knee.
Humans have always been fascinated with competition, whether it’s Greek Gods warring for supremacy
in the Battle of the Titans, or David going toe-to-toe with Goliath, we’ve always loved
a good winner-take-all fight.
But modern professional and college sports have become a religion all their own.
Think about it: millions of people are willing to wake up early on weekend mornings, don
ceremonial dress, in the hopes that they’ll be witness to a miracle.
Even the word “fan” derives from the Latin word “fanaticus,” which means “divinely
inspired.”
And both worship holy relics.
Jews have the Torah, while sports fans have James Naismith’s hand-written founding rules
of basketball.
The pages sold at an auction for more than $4 million and will have their own dedicated
building at the University of Kansas.
The sports fan’s equivalent of the Shroud of Turin is Curt Schilling’s bloody sock,
which the Red Sox player wore over his injured ankle during Game 6 of the 2004 American League
Playoffs against the Yankees.
The game proved to be a decisive moment in Red Sox history and the sock, in turn, took
on mythic importance.
A second bloody sock, worn during the World Series, was later placed in the Baseball hall
of fame, where the Red Sox nation can worship it in person[ZS1].
Like the Hall of Fame, many sports sites have taken on near-religious significance for the
fanatics among us.
Us Red Sox faithful bow down to the Green Monster at Fenway Park, Cubs Fans worship
the ivy of Wrigley Field, and Cheeseheads make pilgrimages to the frozen tundra of Lambeau
Field.
And athletes have rituals they practice before games.
Think LeBron’s chalk-toss or Justin Verlander’s sacred Taco Bell feast before game days.
And although these seem like goofy superstitions, what separates a silly habit from a sacred
ritual besides the degree to which someone believes in its power to affect his life?
Many athletes and fans have more directly incorporated religious or tribal rituals into
their sports.
The New Zealand national rugby team, for instance has been performing a version of the Haka
– the Maori warrior dance – before their matches since 1905[ZS2].
More recently, American sports teams, including the University of Arizona football team incorporated
the Haka into their own pre-game ritual.
The Brigham Young University rugby team even created their own Haka based on teachings
from the Book of Mormon.
Quarterback Tim Tebow’s signature on-field prayer stance became an Internet phenomenon
in the fall of 2011.
Known as Tebowing, the pose brings together three things we love: sports, spirituality
and silly Internet fads.
Although Tebow’s prayerful nature has been widely mocked, he’s not totally crazy to
ask for a miracle, since sports history is rife with buzzer-beating, seemingly supernatural
plays.
Underdog Rulon Gardner beating the unbeaten Alexander Karelin in Greco-Roman at the 2000
Olympics, the US Olympic hockey team triumphing over the Russians at the 1980 Winter Olympics,
or the Immaculate Reception during the Steelers-Raiders AFC playoff game in 1972.
Although these may seem like insignificant moments in the grand scheme of things, they
are the closest many people will get to feeling the presence of a higher power, or like God
is really answering their prayers.
There’s just something about sports, isn’t there, that provides a sense of connection
and belonging to something bigger than ourselves and transports us to the highest highs and
the lowest lows?
Is sports your religion?
Let us know in the comments section below or by uploading a response video.
[ZS1]In addition to the relics do we want a section commenting on spiritual places for
the sports fans like Wrigley Field, or other sacred places of worship?
[ZS2]There are a lot of examples of athletes rituals including Lebron James chalk ritual
before games and a football player who eat a bucket of Fried Chicken (can’t remember
who this is.)
There are a couple of articles about this on Google and videos on YouTube as well.