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In David Chidester’s Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture, he uses the metaphor of the Church of Baseball to connect secular (non-religious) activities to religious practices and sentiments. Let’s examine some of the bases on which he makes his claims:
Baseball creates rituals.
Baseball is rich with rituals parallel to those found in many religious traditions. Whether the ceremonial first pitch or the seventh-inning stretch, repeated actions like these foster a shared sense of tradition and continuity. Players furthermore have individual “lucky” rituals and fans ritualistically sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” These structured experiences promote a sense of belonging and community, and reflect shared belief, all in a manner roughly similar to that of religious rituals for adherents.
Baseball creates collective effervescence.
Chidester draws on French sociologist Durkheim’s concept of collective effervescence (see my article on the subject here), which focuses on shared, “sacred” experiences that bring about a sense of collective excitement or euphoria. Baseball obviously fits into this bucket given the communal energy that thousands of fans generate in a stadium. Moments like a game-winning home run unite fans in a powerful, emotional, near-sacred experience.
Baseball fans hold deep belief about the game’s importance.
For many fans and players, Baseball is about more than entertainemnt—it’s a cornerstone of their cultural and personal identity. Those involved hold deep-seated beliefs about the sancity of the game’s traditions, it’s heroes and legends, and its role in shaping American values. These traits, in Chidester’s mind, draw parallels to religious devotion.
That sums up the main idea—there’s plenty more in Chidester’s writings and work online underscoring his point that baseball functions like a religion in the lives of its followers. Check out my full Religion 101 article list (useful for studying, or just learning!) here.