Passion Plays - (A Ferris and Ferris Book) by Randall Balmer (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Randall Balmer was a late convert to sports talk radio, but he quickly became addicted, just like millions of other devoted American sports fans. As a historian of religion, the more he listened, Balmer couldn't help but wonder how the fervor he heard related to religious practice. Houses of worship once railed against Sabbath-busting sports events, but today most willingly accommodate Super Bowl Sunday. On the other hand, basketball's inventor, James Naismith, was an ardent follower of Muscular Christianity and believed the game would help develop religious character. But today those religious roots are largely forgotten. Here one of our most insightful writers on American religion trains his focus on that other great passion - team sports - to reveal their surprising connections"--

Book Synopsis

Randall Balmer was a late convert to sports talk radio, but he quickly became addicted, just like millions of other devoted American sports fans. As a historian of religion, the more he listened, Balmer couldn't help but wonder how the fervor he heard related to religious practice. Houses of worship once railed against Sabbath-busting sports events, but today most willingly accommodate Super Bowl Sunday. On the other hand, basketball's inventor, James Naismith, was an ardent follower of Muscular Christianity and believed the game would help develop religious character. But today those religious roots are largely forgotten.

Here one of our most insightful writers on American religion trains his focus on that other great passion--team sports--to reveal their surprising connections. From baseball to basketball and football to ice hockey, Balmer explores the origins and histories of big-time sports from the late nineteenth century to the present, with entertaining anecdotes and fresh insights into their ties to religious life. Referring to Notre Dame football, the Catholic Sun called its fandom "a kind of sacramental." Legions of sports fans reading Passion Plays will recognize exactly what that means.

Review Quotes

"Balmer does not shy away from the dark side of sport history, focusing extensively on race, violence, and to a lesser extent, class, gender, and empire in the development of the four sports under discussion. Passion Plays can help religiously different athletes put a face to the sometimes subtle alienations of participating in the thoroughly Christian world of American sport."--Journal of Southern History

"Passion Plays succeeds in synthesizing and repackaging material that will be familiar to sport historians, offering a compelling narrative with intriguing insights drawn from Balmer's perspective as a scholar of religion. It is an excellent contribution to the growing body of work on religion and sports."--Journal of Sport History

"[Passion Plays] does what no other sports book has ever done--that is, connect the rituals of modern sport and trace them back to American society's religious roots. Whether you prefer a home run, touchdown, goal or basket, Balmer definitely scores with this book and you will too if you take the time to read it."--Religion Unplugged

"An engaging look at the historical conditions surrounding America's secular, on-field religions."--Kirkus Reviews

"Balmer's authoritative voice and accessible prose make this an informative and engaging book, inviting even the most hardened sports skeptic to think carefully about the topic. Put simply, Passion Plays is essential reading for those seeking a deeper understanding of the profound influence of the intermixing forces of sports and religion on North American life."--Journal of American History

"Compelling and absorbing...a lively introduction to the historical origins of the sports that we watch and play, while also inviting deeper reflection into the relationship between our religious practices, our sporting devotions, and the social worlds that we share with others...Balmer's posture is one of wonder and curiosity as he revels in the potential implications of his findings. It's that journeying spirit and the strength of Balmer's clear and accessible writing that make this book shine."--Christianity Today

"Randall Balmer offers a rich, wide-ranging take on the relationship between religion and sports in a relatively slim volume. . . . effective and compelling. . . .engages with the various social, political, and economic factors that contribute to our understanding of sports culture and American culture at large."--Mihee Kim-Kort, Reading Religion

"Recommended . . . . Well written and includes fascinating examples of the close connections between team sport and religion in shaping American values, beliefs, and manly behavior."--CHOICE

"This entertaining history examines the religious and cultural roots of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. . . . The illuminating insights into how sports reflect the historical periods and communities in which they developed will change how fans see the games. This one is a winner."--Publishers Weekly