Department of Religious Studies

This course considers the ways that religion and sports are alike and argues that you can learn a great deal about one through careful attention to the other. We’ll consider how fans treat sporting events like sacred rites, examine the civil religion of the Super Bowl, and delve into sports as religion, exploring topics like the peril of religious athletes (Tim Tebow or Muhammad Ali), sporting venues as sacred space, sporting competition as holy violence, and shrines of sacred memory (like halls of fame). By the end of the semester you should have a new and deeper appreciation of the fascinating and complicated ways religion works that comes from looking closer at sports. At the same time, you’ll never again participate in or observe a sporting event in quite the same way.

Credits: GenEd A&H, CASE A&H

• A&H
• What are CASE requirements?