Football Religion

Football Religion

Millions of people watch American football every fall seasons on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. These people include both fans and non-fans. They stay home and watch the game on TV or go to watch it on the stadium.

There is a big difference between non-fans and fans. Non-fan purpose to watch football is to get together with their friends and have fun. They do not care who is playing the game and which team is losing or winning. Also, they do not care who is the important star or a winner of the game. They still participate in the game, by buying tickets, watching the game and spend lots of money on clothes, food and drinks, just to be part of it. However, fans also spend lots of money like the non-fans, but fans view the game differently. They view the game as something special and they are very into it.

However, there is another type of people who think that football is a waste of time and money, game. Fir example, anti football Kelly Shatoo, in the personal interview said, " I do not understand, why these fanatics gather their children, relatives and friends and spend whole day out at the stadium or watch the game all day on TV? Don't they have other obligations to do? Addition to their time waste, they spend lots of money on trash!

Those who think that American Football is a waste of time and money do not understand that football for its fans, is a religion.

Editor Shrill Hoffmann in Sport and Religion, defined religion as, "beliefs and practices related to a supernatural order of existence" (Hoffmann 3). In other words, all people believe in something or somebody as a supernatural object or being. For example,

people have Hollywood stars that they worship as an idol. Idol can be a favorite job, car and/or a person. In general, all people believe in something or somebody.

In addition that many people believe in a supernatural order of existence, there is a reason why people get attached to it. Pastor Andrew Schtoban over the telephone interview explained why people believe in something or in somebody. He said, "The deep meaning of religion is when an individual fulfill the empty heart with something or somebody." Each individual who is born into this world is not born in a perfect world. This world is full of tears and deception, and to find peace or to fulfill the emptiness in their hearts, they seek for comfort, or something that will give them meaning in their lives.

Each individual on this earth has choices on how to fulfill their empty hearts. Some people find their happiness and fulfillment in the worldly objects, such as adoring money, buy new house and have cool cars. They think, if they have money in their pocket, they could do anything or buy whatever they want. Others think that their house and car are wealth and they try everything to keep it perfect.

However, football fans to fulfill their empty hearts, go entertain themselves, gather with others, talk about the game so to feel belonged, worship the winners, participate in the game, spend lots of money on tickets and other things. Finally, they feel belonged and fulfilled. These facts are the fans' religion in football.

To fulfill the emptiness in their hearts, fans seek enjoyment in the entertainment. Entertainment can be defined as leisure. Fans take three to six hours a day on weekends to watch football on TV or go to the stadium to watch it. According to Hoffmann,

"Pleasure derives from expansion or indulgence of the self in sports, ...eating, drinking, etc" (96). Also, Hoffmann states, "As man needs from time to time to rest and leave off bodily labors, so also his mind from time to time must relax from its intense concentration on serious pursuits" (97). In other words, people go and seek something to forget their problems they had during that week and they could forget it, by watching the game, drinking alcohol and eat all kinds of junk food such as chips and popcorn.

According to A Sociological Perspective of Sport by Leonard II Marcellus Wilbert, involvement in the fanaticism "engenders a feeling of belonging" (90) in fans. In other words to feel belonged is a part of religion, because when an individual feels belonged he/she does not feel unworthy, empty and sad. According to Sports The All- American Addiction by John Gerdy, any sports including football, allows "people with vastly different backgrounds to talk about "their" team" (57). In other words people with different problems in their lives worries and their own lives styles gather together and talk about their same favorite team. When a person is destructed from his worries and problems and meets other people with the same opinions he/she feels belonged. Fans are not all-alone watching the game and cheer for their team. They have other co-fans who cheer with them.

Football fans worship their favorite team winners who "wield great influence and charisma over the masses of fans" (Hoffman 7). Football fans have their own heroes such as John Elway from Denver Broncos team. In the personal interview, fan Mitchell Brookfield said, " I just love Elway for wining the ball. How I worship him is, I talk to my friends about how he win the game, buy his picture portraits and buy jerseys and caps

written 'Elway' on." When a fan worships winner he/she think of him and try to posses anything to remember the winner.

While watching the game on the stadium, the fans participate in the game. How they participate? They buy tickets. A ticket might cost from $70 to $510. According to Hoffman, "people take on assigned roles, often wearing special symbolic clothing to distinguish them from non participants"(7). Football fans not only wear special clothes that symbolize their favorite teams, but also paint their faces into different colors that symbolize their team. They paint their face like the Native Americans painted their faces centuries ago when they were getting ready to go to war. Also, the fans' face paintings symbolize that they are there to cheer for their team and are there for a war, too. They

Whistle when their team is winning. They scream and holler, when their team is losing. This is called a "fan spirit". However participating in the game, fans show they really care for the game and their teams.

To have something that keeps the fan very proud or to posses something popular, fans spend hundreds of dollars on jerseys and autographed helmets. For example, the NFL website, show that Reebok NFL Equipment Michael Vick # 7 Red Authentic Alternative Jerseys, cost $230.00! There are fans that spend that much money on jerseys. Also, autographed helmets cost