Cult and Sport: The Case of Big Red
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Issue Date
1977-01-01Author
Stein, Michael
Publisher
Department of Sociology, University of Kansas
Type
Article
Rights
Copyright (c) Social Thought and Research. For rights questions please contact Editor, Department of Sociology, Social Thought and Research, Fraser Hall, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045.
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Show full item recordAbstract
This paper explores the importance ofsport in our society. Several metaphors for sports are presented, including the military and religion. It is argued that for some fans, sport takes on the quality of a secular religion which serves to offer continuity in life, an institutionalized agency for catharsis, a transcendent experience giving followers an escape from the mundane, and a sense of belonging. Using football at the University of Nebraska as an example, empirical support is given for the notion of sport as civil religion.
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Citation
Mid-American Review of Sociology, Volume 2, Number 2 (WINTER, 1977), pp. 29-42 http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.4813
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