And, by degrees, to the spirit of modern sport as we know it. In The Influence of the Protestant Ethic on Sport and Recreation , Steven J. Overman argues that American Puritans had little time for sport as an end in itself. For them, sport could only be countenanced as a means of realising higher ends, such as controlling physical desires or building moral character. This linkage gradually allowed Americans in the late 19th century to accept the participation of women in sport - many of those who promoted the idea did so with arguments about how athletic activity would reduce the curves of women's bodies and make their minds more rationale and their morals less loose. But the Puritans were only drawing on a prejudice much more widespread among Protestants.
Catholic culture is more accepting and less judgmental of human foibles, including the urge to play.
Protestantism, however, and perhaps because it is more voluntaristic, has been able to impress upon its adherents a need to achieve, not waste time, and to import this ethic into all aspects of their lives. As a result, Protestant countries strive to win and their success can't help but have a contagious effect on the nature of competition. Despite all the Olympic rhetoric, sport is now at the service of other ends - including, not surprisingly, capitalism. What we have gained in performance we have lost in play. Chris McGillion is the Herald's religious affairs columnist.