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

The author of Bad Faith, Race and the Rise of the Religious, is back with another great book examining how religion has helped shape sports. Passion Plays describes the origin of the Big Four major sports and then details their relation to religion (largely Christianity). Even beyond the religious aspect, I also learned a lot about the early years of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey in America, which I really enjoyed.