The religion of sport

I tell people that after reading the front page of a newspaper, I turn to the sports section where I may actually spend more time reading. People who are not sports fans may find this mystifying. And as a sports fan I can understand that.

But I venture to add that there are actually two kinds of sports fans. There are those who follow sports for the sheer love of the game. Then there are those who are sports fans because of their emotional attachments to one of the teams. I consider myself a rabid sports fan because I belong to both categories.

For all types of sport enthusiasts, this past week has been one of those truly memorable ones. I know this is a cliché; but, I cannot think of a better term. Look at what we have witnessed.

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) experienced a renaissance because of the “down the wire” finals series between Ginebra and Meralco. These are two teams with long historic ties to professional basketball. The series even had a Cinderella element. The winning Ginebra team was once the people’s choice: but, has not won a championship in years. The two teams also belonged to the two corporate giants in Philippine sports. Ginebra belongs to the San Miguel Group of Danding Cojuangco and Ramon Ang. Meralco is part of the Manny Pangilinan-led group of companies.

In sports, much of the drama often happens outside the playing field. I was, however, surprised that Sonny Jaworski had visited the Ginebra team at half time; and, reportedly, inspired them to focus on the game. I can recall that in my younger days, Meralco was my favorite team when it was then led by Sonny Jaworski and Boy Reynoso.

Sports need competition and rivalries to attract fans. In Philippine sports, and in many other social aspects, there is no rivalry that can match the intensity and passion of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. Even if there is no championship at stake; or,  even if one team is heavily favored, the attendance at these games is so high that the game is always held at a special time limited to only the Ateneo La Salle game.

By the time this column comes out, another La Salle-Ateneo game would have been played. But whoever wins (or lose), I know that in the next game, half the gallery will again  be in Green and the other half in Blue. This is what we mean by historic rivalries. The outcome of a single game may hurt temporarily but the rivalry is counted in terms of decades and, for many Green and Blue fans, in terms of generations.

School rivalries are actually worldwide phenomenon. In the United States, there is the Harvard-Yale rivalry and the West Point-Annapolis annual duel. In England, the annual rowing contest between Oxford and Cambridge has been the backdrop for many novels and movies.

As he prepares for another fight, it is good to remember that during the peak of his popularity, Manny Pacquiao became a national icon; and, during his fights, the nation would literally stop and be one emotionally. For nations that are major sports powers, the Olympic Games have similar effects. Professor Grant Jarvie, chair of sport at the University of Edinburgh wrote:

“It is impossible to  fully understand contemporary society and culture without acknowledging the place of sport. Sport is part of our social and cultural fabric, possessing a social and commercial power that makes it a potent force in the world for good and for bad.

Sport has helped to start wars and promote international reconciliation, while every government around the world commits public resources to sport because of its perceived benefits. From the bleachers to the board room, sports matters.”

There are now writers who claim that sport is a new religion. This is obviously an exaggeration; but a leading sports psychologist Daniel Wann wrote: “The similarities between sports fandom and organized religion are striking. Consider the vocabulary associated with both: faith, devotion, worship, ritual, dedication, sacrifice, commitment, spirit, prayer, suffering, festival, and celebration.”

He goes on to say that sports stadia and arenas resemble “...cathedrals where followers gather to worship their heroes and pray for their successes.” Then there are the rituals at all great sports events: “...fans wear team colors, carry its flags, icons and mascots. Then there is the repetitive chanting of team chanting of team encouragement (I prefer the term cheering), hand-clapping, booing the other team, doing the wave and so forth. The singing of an anthem at a sport event likely has similar psychological effects as the singing of a church hymn.”

Competitive sports originated in Ancient Greece, in 1776 B.C. as a festival to honor the god Zeus. They were held in the town of Olympia, a sacred site. The actual games were a major part of a month-long festival of religious rites and athletic competition. When it was time for the Games, armies of rival cities would temporarily lay down their weapons in a “sacred truce” for the duration of the festival. Professor Edith Hall wrote: “Of all the cultural legacies left by the ancient Greeks, the three which have had the most obvious impact on modern...life are athletics, democracy and drama.”

Why do I often prefer the sports section? Former US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren said it best: “I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.”

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