Reading this chapter a particular image continued to pop up in my head; the image we have seen countless times in television comedies or movies of some crazed sports fan begrudgingly attending a worship service while listening to a sports broadcast on their portable radio (often accidentally making some exclamation of excitement or disappointment in reaction to the game which must be masked as a reaction to the service.) In truth it would be hard to find a source of sacred experience which competes with the scheduled times of worship in most major religions as much as sports.
In this chapter Laderman argues that people form religious commitments to a certain sport, team, individual, or moment in time. He makes the case that when we look closely it is apparent that "there is more at stake in this social activity than winners and loser, endorsements and contracts, entertainment and leisure time." Along with his normal examination of what makes sports a significant source of religious experience in America Laderman talks about the important role of play in human life. Play is a vital human function often organized into regular forms of competition that take on sacred significance.
It seems that Laderman wants to make the point that the religious culture that surrounds sports can somehow harmlessly coexist with organized religion of a more traditional sort. My experience as a youth pastor tends to make me disagree with this conclusion. It may be possible for adults to involve themselves in some aspects of sports religion along with a healthy commitment to a faith community, but youth seem to be less able to hold these competing commitments in tension. Many of the students in my youth group must consistently make decisions between committing to a rigorous sports schedule and participating in functions associated with their ongoing discipleship within our youth group. I think even Laderman would agree that one of the fundamental measures of religious commitment is where you invest your time. Using the measure of time commitment, and knowing that Christian discipleship is not necessarily a priority in many of the students’ homes, I would say sports culture is the primary teacher of ethics, provider of community and experience of the sacred for many youth.
In a world like ours, where some have declared that 'God is money,' there is no doubt then that this god is heavily invested in sports. As long as people are willing to make holy pilgrimages to sacred sporting events and arenas, worship their heroes for their athletic abilities, and buy tickets, jerseys, equipment and endorsed merchandise the religious culture of sports will continue to grow. Fans will continue to worship in stadiums, where the holy liturgy of competition is enacted, to teach and to thrill, to entertain and to challenge. Whether or not you decry this kind of sports-induced idolatry, its hard to argue that the Super Bowl is not a holy day, that certain sports arenas are not sacred ground or that athletes like Michael Jordan are not treated as gods.
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