How Does Religion Impact Sport?

From a sociological standpoint, religion is defined as a socially shared set of beliefs and rituals that people use to transcend the material world and give meaning to important aspects of their lives (Coakley, 2007). Some would argue that religion and sport are rooted within the same ideology – a culturally-based way that people find meaning in life and connect with each other. The fact is that religion cannot be ignored when analyzing sport as a social construction.

In the United States, we see a number of church leagues and organizations that use sport to channel community and togetherness within their subculture. These leagues are generally well-versed in sportsmanship, openness, and creating a sense of belonging. Sport in the United States is viewed as a positive influence on our community and individuals. It shows us how to work together to achieve a common goal, despite our differences. Sport can often act as a platform to exercise religious-based concepts such as helping one another, seeing past differences, being involved in the community and the like. Furthermore, some religious-based groups see sport as a way to keep youth focused on a positive outlet and distanced from trouble and negative pressures growing up. The YMCA is a great example of an organization founded on principles associated with Christianity and sport. George Williams founded the YMCA on June 6, 1844 in London England. The original concept was to put Christian principles into practice; the early YMCA targeted young men who sought work in London but were living in rough conditions. Its goal was to offer an alternative to life on the streets that involved prayer and Bible study; it was meeting the social need in the community. The YMCA was unique in that it ignored the separation of churches and social classes evident in that time, and opened its doors to all. The YMCA continues its mission on an international level today of building a healthy spirit, mind and body (Zald, 1963).

Religion can also bear a burden in sport. Take for instance the Iraqi National soccer team. Uday Hussein, Sadaam Hussein’s notorious brother, was in charge of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and the team itself. Under Uday’s control, the team was subjected to torture which took place in the basement of the Olympic building. It was equipped with contraptions such as a sarcophagus with long nails pointing inward so victims could be punctured and suffocated. Another contraption was a metal frame designed to clamp over a prisoner’s body, with footrests at the bottom, rings at the shoulders to hoist the victim, and attachment points for power cables to deliver electric shocks. Losing games or poor passes could result in beatings, imprisonment and floggings by electric cable. Uday’s justification for terrorizing the players was the fact that a majority of the team was Shiite Muslim, at a time of Sunni governmental control through Sadaam (Burns, 2003). The religious differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslim are the source for a long-standing historical battle. However, as shown by this case, even sport is not free from religious-based cultural differences.

The two examples above show that different cultural settings can produce different roles for religion within sport. The latter case, however extreme it may be, is not to be ignored when studying religion and sport as social constructs. The main component of a social construct is people, which is evident in both religion and sport. Examining the two will lead to greater understanding of how religion can impact sport in society.