Sport as Religion

   While there may be innate differences between pop culture and religion in terms of spiritual meaning, there are many similarities between the two. Many people see religion as a way of identifying one's self, or belonging to a community or group. Often we approach pop culture in a similar manner. We wear our favorite baseball team's cap just as easily as we would wear some sort of religious identifier, say a necklace with a cross. Being a fan(atic) of a sports team,  is often passed down as a tradition for the area you live in. It can serve as a community like religion, with monikers and gatherings. Diehard fans in "Red Sox Nation" could certainly be described as religiously devout to their team. Even during this past summer's World Cup, the phrase "in Brazil, futbol is religion" was constantly repeated to emphasize just how important and connected Brazilians are to their national team. Considering the melodramatic crying and fears of rioting after a Brazilian loss, it becomes clear that in many places people's connections and blind following of a favorite team is strikingly reminiscent of piety and religion. Similar religious devotion to other things, say a pop star or a TV show, is also commonplace.