I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book, mainly because in everyday conversation many of us, including myself, will say they follow a player or team "religiously." So, with this book on the connection between religion and team sports, I was naturally curious. It turned out to be a decent read. Here is my review of "Passion Plays."
Title/Author: “Passion Plays: How
Religion Shaped Sports in North America” by Randall Balmer
Rating: 4 of
5 stars (very good)
Review: Starting with the shortening of the word “fanatics” to “fans”,
there are many parallels between the world of sports and the world of religion.
Historian Randal Balmer illustrates
those commonalities in the four major team sports in North America in this
short and enjoyable book.
Balmer describes of how social changes of various themes are
related to the origins of the four sports and in many cases, how some of them
are still applicable to this day. He
likens the origins of baseball to the Industrial Revolution, war proliferation starting
with the Civil War to the creation of American football, Canadian nationalism
for ice hockey and urbanization for basketball as there was a lack of sporting
opportunity between football and baseball seasons. The origins of the four sports are all well
documented here. Even those readers who
have researched those origins in one or more of the sports will pick up on
something new.
Just about any religious connection with the sports that readers
may have heard from watching games, reading about the games in the media or
listening to sports talk will be found here.
It was sports talk radio that gave Balmer the inspiration for this
book. One of the cleverer descriptions
of these connections is the nickname given to long-time sports talk host Mike
Francesa in New York City – who is known as the “pope” of sports talk
radio. Another example is how many
sports venues are considered shrines, temples, churches, or similar places of
worship. Among those listed by Balmer
are Fenway Park (baseball), Lambeau Field (football) and the Montreal Forum
(hockey). For the latter, the march from the Forum to the new Molson Centre
(now Bell Centre) for the Montreal Canadiens by players and fans down St. Catherine
Street felt like a pilgrimage.
That is the image that Balmer seems to want to bring to the reader
– how team sports in North America will make followers have the same feelings
as one who is devout in their religion, no matter what faith they may be. It should be noted that these comparisons are
limited to those of Christian symbols – many different faiths are mentioned in
the book. Also, for each sport, Balmer includes
the struggle by non-white players for equality on the playing field and in
other aspects.
No matter which sports a reader follows of those four, they will
find something they will enjoy in this book.
It is a quick enjoyable read that will shed some different light on one’s
fandom for their favorite games or teams.
I wish to thank University of North Carolina Press for providing a
copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
