Religion in Sports

People may watch sports because it gives them a sense of community or sense of belonging within their fan base.  You celebrate with them, you mourn with them and within this community you share similar traditions.  In terms of tradition, everyone knows the same chants, can sing the same songs, and wear the same colors.  For example, at a Boston Red Sox game everyone knows “Sweet Caroline” and every Notre Dame fan can sing their fight song at the end of every win.  This sense of tradition also helps breed superstition in which fans feel they can directly impact their team’s performance by the things they do, such as wearing the same pair of socks or sitting in the same seat every week.  The character in Bull Durham plays into this sense of community because she feels that by sleeping with players, she can directly influence their performance and this also may help play into her sense of community because she feels personally connected with the teams success. 

So whether it’s wearing the same socks, or sleeping with the players, superstition is a large part of sports.  Its not only fans, but the players as well, Michael Jordan wore his North Carolina Basketball shorts underneath his Chicago Bulls shorts every game (and apparently it worked out pretty well for him).  Fans’ superstition also expands into marketing campaigns, and companies appeal to the fans’ consumerist interests.  Campaigns such as “Be Like Mike” or “Bo Knows” capitalize on fans’ obsessions of sports icons, and attempt to sell products with player’s names on it.  Fans buy these products under the false illusions that the t-shirt or shoes they wear will somehow improve their performance and they will play like their favorite superstar.