Passion Plays - How Religion Shaped Sports in North America (Hardcover)

Randall Balmer was a late convert to sports talk radio, but he quickly became addicted, just like millions of other devoted American sports fans. As a historian of religion, the more he listened, Balmer couldn't help but wonder how the fervor he heard related to religious practice. Houses of worship once railed against Sabbath-busting sports events, but today most willingly accommodate Super Bowl Sunday. On the other hand, basketball's inventor, James Naismith, was an ardent follower of Muscular Christianity and believed the game would help develop religious character. But today those religious roots are largely forgotten. Here one of our most insightful writers on American religion trains his focus on that other great passion-team sports-to reveal their surprising connections. From baseball to basketball and football to ice hockey, Balmer explores the origins and histories of big-time sports from the late nineteenth century to the present, with entertaining anecdotes and fresh insights into their ties to religious life. Referring to Notre Dame football, The Catholic Sun called its fandom "a kind of sacramental." Legions of sports fans reading Passion Plays will recognize exactly what that means.

General

Imprint:	The University of North Carolina Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	A Ferris and Ferris Book
Release date:	September 2022
Authors:	Randall Balmer
Dimensions:	235 x 155mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	192
ISBN-13:	978-1-4696-7006-5
Categories:	Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Leisure Books > Religion & Spirituality > General
LSN:	1-4696-7006-2
Barcode:	9781469670065

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!