It's driven by new emotional forces. Today, in an extended peacetime, the landscape is dotted with huge arenas, revved up by TV coverage. One observer says the secret to our obsession with sports is the nearly spiritual drama they enact. In a complex world, sports mercifully simplify life, at least for a few hours. This greatly simplifies life because it greatly simplifies the search for meaning.
Sports are about the consequences of actions.
A team's fate unfolds before our eyes, with terrible finality. The final score tells the story. That's a lot of philosophy to load onto a Titans game, a Predators match or the Vandy-UT rivalry. But the passion inspired in the human heart by big-time sports is noted by clergy, usually with fascination, sometimes envy. For 10 years, the Promise Keepers men's movement has made clear where it stands.