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Inspired by Americans鈥� captivation by sports, Randall Balmer, the John Phillips Professor in Religion at Dartmouth College and member of the Boisi Center鈥檚 Board of Advisors, wrote a new book titled, Passion Plays: How Religion Shaped Sports in North America. On October 12, Balmer participated in a well attended lunch colloquium at the Boisi Center, entitled 鈥淪ports and Religion in North America,鈥� where he discussed his recent publication and engaged in a riveting conversation about the intersection of America鈥檚 two passions.

The luncheon commenced with Balmer鈥檚 explanation of how football became America鈥檚 game; it conquered, what he describes as, 鈥渢he three R鈥檚: region, race, and religion.鈥� Football successfully spread to the south because it is a military-style game, and the south is embedded in a culture of militarism. Racial integration鈥揳lbeit violent鈥揳lso occurred on the field, which led to the sport鈥檚 increasing popularity during the mid-twentieth century. Furthermore, football spread across religious groups. Specifically, Boston College, Fordham, and Notre Dame embraced football as an opportunity to 鈥渂eat Protestants on the field,鈥� which further contributed to American Catholic identity formation.

The presentation transitioned to exploring James Naismith鈥檚 creation of basketball in 1891. As a Presbyterian, the Calvinist ideals of seeking boundaries and limits appears in basketball鈥檚 tight court dimensions. Balmer also accredits the game鈥檚 rise in popularity to its founding moment. In order to win a basketball game, one must successfully move through a small space without running into other players: skills needed to survive in a rapidly urbanizing society.

Balmer concluded his lecture describing how sports fanaticism manifests itself as a religion for many Americans. Today, church services will be moved so they don鈥檛 interfere with sports events; people don鈥檛 want to miss a game for Mass, revealing where Americans鈥� priorities lie. Over the past few decades, religious adherence has decreased while sports fanaticism has increased dramatically鈥揺specially among white males. Individuals鈥� communities now surround sports teams rather than religious institutions.

An enriching Q&A followed Balmer鈥檚 presentation; the conversation discussed transcendent moments that occurred in sports, including Doug Flutie鈥檚 Hail Mary pass. It also addressed how Americans have transitioned from looking to theologians鈥搒uch as MLK and Reinhold Niebuhr鈥搕o looking to athletes鈥搃ncluding Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James鈥揻or moral guidance.