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Essay: Uncovering Similarities Between Religion and Sports: The “Opiates of the Masses”

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  • Published: 1 June 2019*
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Paste your essay in here…In the mid 1800’s, the famed philosopher Karl Marx stated in his Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right that “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” Opiates, a severely addictive branch of narcotics that because of its morphine-like effects is used in medicine to kill pain and even save lives. By likening religion to opiates, Marx was expressing how religion due highly addictive, has the innate ability to save deeply troubled individuals. While Marx’s revelation rang true when it first surfaced in the 19th century, it can be argued that in today’s society, sports has joined religion as dual “opiates of the masses.” In the 20th century, professional sports has transformed into a North American institution. The NFL’s Sunday Night Football is routinely the number one show in America each week, and Major League Baseball games have annually drawn over 70 million in attendance every year in the past half-decade. The reasoning behind the massive popularity of professional sports can be explained similarly to that of the popularity of religion. Like religion, sports have a cathartic ability of reducing the stress of their fans by diverting attention away from the mundane obligations and pressures of their everyday life. Sports and religion share many of the same characteristics, including the enforcement of important values and the worship of legendary figures. The traditions of religion that are practiced in places of worship, such as chapels, churches, and synagogues, are comparable to those seen in sporting venues. This paper will take an in-depth look into the similarities between religion and sport, and the reasoning behind why sports should be considered a form of religious devotion.

When attempting to liken sport to religion, it is essential to provide a definition for both of these terms. The definition of religion is a very subjective and highly contested topic. However, the one aspect of religion that can be agreed upon is that it’s characterized as a belief system held by a group of people who share that religion openly. This characterization is paramount to its establishment, as a religion that does not have a group of people who share a belief in it would cease to be a religion. Although it is universally agreed that religion needs a following of people in order to exist, there is not a necessity for divine power. The religion of Buddhism for example does not recognize a G-d. Rather, Buddhism places its dependence on the individual instead of on G-d or any other divine power. Buddhists are to follow and practice the Four Noble Truths, which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path to the cessation of suffering. In his article, Intro to Religion: What is Religion, Luke Muehlhauser believes that there are a few common characteristics that most religions cover: an interaction with the supernatural, a belief that there is something intrinsically wrong with the human condition, a prescription for salvation or liberation from it, ritualistic behaviour, and a sense of community. While Muehlhauser adds that not all of these traits are necessary in order for a religion to be constituted as such, they are the most common characteristics, and the biggest reasons for why individuals become so devoted to their faith.

Similar to religion, sport is not easy to define. Therefore, it is best to describe sports through its respective characteristics.. In Man, Sport, and Existence, top sports agent Howard Slusher contends that “Sport, for many individuals, is a cult that fulfills generalized and specific need gratifications. It represents a specific value system that exudes its own form of good and evil,  rewards and punishments, as well as a complete matrix of individualized normative outcomes.” In order to obtain fulfillment in sport, as either a player or a fan, one is required to invest a significant amount of time and effort. As a professional athlete, you devote your life to refining your craft, through both practice and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It is also necessary to keep an even-keel, as your career will be filled with plenty of both exhilarating triumphs and devastating moments of peril. As a devoted fan, one must be committed to their team, watching their games and experiencing both the highs and lows that come with each season. This commitment comes with experience a slew of various emotions: the feeling of devotion, care and respect for your craft, one of sacrifice, suffering, and despair, during moments of peril, along with exhilaration and unbridled joy when your dreams of success are realized. Therefore, sport is a far more complex entity than simply being a game.

Individuals who are deeply committed to their religion would contend that the comparisons between religion and sports are arbitrary and blasphemous. However, when examining the characteristics between the two, it is easy to discover their various similarities. Michael Novak, an American Catholic philosopher states that, “sport is religious in the sense that they are organized institutions and disciplines that also teach the religious qualities of heart and soul. In the most literal of ways, words like sacred, devotion, faith, ritual, immortality, and love, which figure prominently in the structure of belief in religion, are also among those found in the language of the national pastime.” Novak is underlining the shared function of both religion and sports as an enforcer of values, each stressing the importance of character, work-ethic, dedication, and resolve in the face of adversity.  Furthermore, both sports and religion place an emphasis on ritualistic behaviour. For thousands of years synagogues, churches, and temples have provided an environment in which devout religious faith can be expressed in a community environment. Sporting venues have become akin to religious shrines, with fans likening their experience at a ballpark or arena to attending church.  Both religious and sporting shrines can be considered houses of worship, where each set of “believers” come together to share their set of beliefs. These sport stadiums and arenas resemble those cathedrals and temples where followers gather to worship and ask for

their prayers to be answered. Both types of venues contain many rituals that are organized and structured. If one goes into any stadium or ballpark or any sporting event for that matter, they will notice the unity of clapping, chanting, encouragements, and jeering of the opponent.

When attending a religious service, one will also notice the unity of clapping, chanting and

singing of hymns. When it comes to places of worship, both religion and sports have venues that are regarded as more sacred and holy than others. For example, the famed Madison Square Garden has been referred to as the “Mecca of sport”. It has also been compared to the Sistine Chapel for its iconic architecture and rich history. Madison Square Garden has a seating capacity of over 20,000, which it fills for almost every event it hosts. The stadium is home to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL). It also hosts a number of annual events, in

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