Is there, underneath it all, some kind of connection between sports and religion?
One of the more fascinating members in my former shul was Joe D.* He supported the shul in many ways, but attendance was not one of them. Even on Yom Kippur, he would arrive just before Yizkor and leave immediately after. Despite all this, I liked chatting with him because, among other things, it gave me insight into how nonobservant Jews think.
One day he said to me, “I don’t need no Torah, Rabbi, I got my own religion, and it’s called football and baseball. I’m totally dedicated to them, and I think about them day and night.”
Joe was a sweet person, but deep thinking was not his forte. Still, his comment gave me pause.
On the face of it, baseball, football, and other sports seem to have no connection at all with spiritual matters. Sports emphasizes physical prowess and personal bravado, which are hardly the essence of the religious life. Still, it cannot be denied that many people expend on their football or baseball teams the same kind of devotion and fidelity that religious people do on their beliefs. Is there, underneath it all, some kind of connection between sports and religion?
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