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Title details for Passion Plays by Randall Balmer - Available

Passion Plays

by Randall Balmer
ebook
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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.
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Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

Kindle Book

  • Release date: October 14, 2024

OverDrive Read

  • Release date: October 14, 2024

Open EPUB ebook

  • File size: 12565 KB
  • Release date: October 14, 2024

Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
Open EPUB ebook

subjects

Sports & Recreations Nonfiction

Languages

English

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.
Expand title description text
Sports & Recreations Nonfiction