When the Toronto Blue Jays clinched their spot in the World Series this week, the celebrations weren’t just about baseball. They were about belonging.
Hanna Tervanotko, associate professor of Religious Studies, examines ancient religious practices and their modern parallels. She sees striking similarities between sports fandom and religion, and says the Blue Jays’ playoff run reveals the power of ritual, community and collective belief.
What do religion and baseball have in common?
They both offer people a community and a sense of belonging. Members of both communities talk about their groups as “we” and they form an important part of individuals’ identity. Both religion and sports also offer their “practitioners” strong emotions.
Are sports rituals comparable to religious ones??
Sports rituals use similar strategies to religious ones. Rituals are often defined as repetitive, formal, rule-governed, and symbolic. There are many examples of sports and religious rituals’ similarities: Both have some physical identifiers, such as fan gear or religious symbols, that help members recognize each other.
Regular coming together with the group strengthens the collective identity and bonds between individuals. Singing may add to that feeling of strong community.
Details, such as a preference to always sit in the same area/seat at the religious space or the stadium, reflect patterned behaviour.
There is a certain feeling of security that can translate into luck in the sports context, when things are always done the same way.
Why do fans react so strongly to wins and losses??
I think it has to do with the strong bond with the team and the identity it offers to the fans. The team’s victory or loss becomes a personal one. Overcoming a personal loss takes time, especially if one is very invested in it.
Can sports replace religion in modern society?
In my opinion, this is both yes and no.
On the one hand, in heterogeneous contexts where there is no dominant unifying common identity, such as religion, scholars already talk about sports as “secular religion.” As mentioned, the rituals of religion and sports can be similar and bring people together.
On the other hand, religions often come with clear sets of beliefs and values, such as belief in a superhuman being and answers to some existential questions. I think sports such as baseball are more focused on things present in the secular, visible human realm, than religions that can be invested in other realms.
Having said that, I don’t see how sports could entirely replace religion or other system that address faith more broadly.