Religion and Sports

Alpert, Rebecca T.

doi:10.7312/alpe16570

Cited by 21 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Third, sport has apparently replaced religion for many people, and this is because sport can give people a purpose. The observation that people can see sport as life is why many scholars highlight the parallels between sport and religion (e.g., Alpert 2015;Carter 2012;Guttmann 2004;Novak 1994;Rappaport 1999), and some of these scholars recognize that these similarities place sport and religion in competition with each other. As historian Gurock (2005, p. 8) contends:…”

Section: Why Sport?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sport as a Meaning-Making System: Insights from the Study of Religion

Sosis

Kiper

2022

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Meaning-making has been one of the primary domains of religion throughout history, and some have claimed that this is religion’s central function. Yet, the modern era has seen a proliferation of other social institutions that generate meaning for people. Here we reflect on what religious meaning-making can tell us about meaning-making in secular institutions, with a particular focus on sport. Sport as a meaning-making institution is puzzling since sports are generally considered leisure activities, not serious enough to provide meaningful structure and purpose to human lives. Nonetheless, people do derive meaning from sport and we argue that because sport shares many features with religion, it offers a unique opportunity to examine a secular meaning-making institution. We offer a theoretical framework for the study of meaning-making that derives from our conceptual approach to religion as an adaptive system. We use this approach, and other anthropological research, to delineate seven general characteristics of human meaning-making systems: collective, constructed, subjective, narrative, relational, transcendent, and growth-oriented. These features of meaning-making systems highlight why sport has been so successful at offering meaning to sport enthusiasts, both fans and athletes alike. We conclude with a brief speculative evolutionary scenario that may explain our proclivity for seeking meaning, and why secular institutions will continue to fill that role when religious worldviews are not compelling.

show abstract

Section: Why Sport?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sport as a Meaning-Making System: Insights from the Study of Religion

Sosis

Kiper

2022

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 The study also contributes to the exploration of the relationship between sports and religion, a growing research area in the study of religion and theology. 2 We proceed in three steps. First, we place the topic of vulnerability in the context of competitive sports, focusing primarily on some recent studies in sports psychology that describe vulnerability as a challenging topic in the world of competitive sports and as a concept open to different interpretations in this particular context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability in the arena of strength

Graff-Kallevåg¹,

Stålsett²

2021

Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is an ambiguity inherent in vulnerability as a part of human life. Beyond mere limitation, recent interdisciplinary research shows that the condition of vulnerability also contains essential life-sustaining resources. This ambiguity is particularly interesting in the context of embodied competition, such as sports. The present study of Christian sermons held on the occasion of international sporting events explores to what degree and in what way the homilies mobilize religious resources to shed light on this ambivalence of vulnerability. The study shows that the sermons in general tend to confirm rather than challenge a conventional conceptualization of vulnerability as limitation. However, it also shows a critical potential, explicitly present in some of the sermons, of mobilizing theological and religious resources for providing a more multi-faceted and even affirmative interpretation of vulnerability in the context of competitive sports.

show abstract

“…6 The majority of scholarship in the sport and religion interface focuses on Christianity and its particular relationship with sport. Various publica involvement in English football (Clavane, 2013) and the sporting history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day (2016) monograph focuses on sport amongst American Muslims, while Hubbard (1998) and Alpert (2015) briefly describe the faith commitments of Muslim athletes in elite sports.…”

Section: Form Articles Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chaplaincy, Mission and Elite Sport: A Cross-National Study of the Work of Chaplains in the National Football League (NFL) And English Premier League (EPL).

Whitmore¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Sports chaplaincy is an established form of chaplaincy and ministry. However, little research has been conducted on the work of sports chaplains. Of the completed research, none has compared sports chaplaincy in different countries. Aim and methods: The aim of the present study is to compare and contrast the role and function of sports chaplains within American football’s National Football League (NFL) and the English Premier League (EPL) by way of qualitative empirical investigation. The study sought to understand the roles and skills of the sports chaplain, the governance and safeguarding structures chaplain’s operate within, and the missiological approach to this form of ministry. To investigate these elements, a qualitive approach was utilized. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews, participant observations and e-mail. Eight chaplains, four from each league, participated in the study, as well as two para-church organization leaders, from the US and UK respectively. The results showed that sports chaplains fulfilled roles comparable to chaplains within other sectors of chaplaincy, such as offering pastoral care and spiritual support. However, their work was contextual, in that how their roles were utilized differed between host organizations. Overall, chaplains felt marginalized in their work, but this position also allowed chaplains to provide support during times of challenge. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that accountability and evaluation mechanisms for sports chaplains were not consistent and safeguarding mechanisms for NFL chaplains were nonexistent. Finally, chaplains consistently expressed a calling to this form of ministry and felt that their work was a witness to the love and message of Jesus Christ. Conclusions: In the high-pressure, results oriented industry of elite sports settings, sports chaplains witness to the love of God and affirm the value of the individual, regardless of their performance or on-field results. In this, they witness to the missio Dei present in elite sport.

show abstract

Religion and Sports

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Sport as a Meaning-Making System: Insights from the Study of Religion

Sport as a Meaning-Making System: Insights from the Study of Religion

Vulnerability in the arena of strength

Chaplaincy, Mission and Elite Sport: A Cross-National Study of the Work of Chaplains in the National Football League (NFL) And English Premier League (EPL).

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About