I haven’t really decided how my thesis should go, at present the only thing I’m really coming up with is that college football should be regarded as a religion. I’m not saying it should get tax breaks and have holidays based on its “gods”, but that it should be regarded more seriously than just a sport or a game.
I understand that to a devout Christian, for instance, claiming that football is important to a person’s life might seem silly. But to a hardcore fan who also happens to be an atheist, learning about a guy who allegedly defied gravity and such seems equally silly.
To an extent I guess it’s somewhat about tolerance or respect. Some of my paper will deal with the amount of time, effort, energy, resources, etc that many fans choose to commit to college football.
I realize I’m going to need more for such a paper but at present that’s where I’m at.
Thought / feedback appreciated.
I think the trick for you may be to figure out HOW you want to (ahem) tackle that claim. Like you said, many of the scholars you've found agree that it should be read like religion, so you don't just want to say, "here's what people have to say...I completely agree." But your contribution to the conversation could be a particular kind of FOCUS or emphasis that the literature doesn't have (or if it has it, it doesn't sustain it for very long, etc). Know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteAlso, think about what's at stake in your claim...Why do we need to take it more seriously if you don't think it should be given tax breaks, etc. (but to that point, I'll tell you that lots of my tax dollars go to UA football that I'd rather not be paying for)... Keep writing and brainstorming... You'll get there.
I like the insider/outsider perspective going into this paper. I think this could be a really interesting idea and paper and i hope to edit yours at some point to read what you are up to writing.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy Merinda's puns. Ha!
It would be interesting if you addressed the "spiritual vs religious" aspect. For instance, some "atheist football fans" might consider football a religion because of the spiritual feelings, devotion, and natural connection they have to the game. However, they might not actually consider themselves "religious". Make sure you distinguish between what these are and define them according to how you are going to use them though.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I think a major part of your paper should include similar characteristics between the two different "religions" including what makes football a supposed "textbook" religion. Good work!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kathleen. I think a comparison would be good. The insider/outsider politics of this topic are pretty important, too. Maybe you should, like Kathleen was saying, compare how the rituals of football fans compare to that of certain religious groups.
ReplyDelete