Religion and Sport

The relationship between religion and sport has changed dramatically throughout the centuries. Originally, with the Greeks, athletic competitions were mixed with religious ceremony. But, with the rise of Christianity and Puritanistic beliefs, athletics became a sinful activity scorned by the clergy and religious fanatics The Greeks were a very religious people. Being polytheists, they believed that particular gods could provide assistance in all aspects of life. The competitive games of the Greek culture grew out …

…back country areas. As you can see there was a great change in how sport and religion related from the time of the Greeks to colonial times. But were the wants of the Puritans that different from those of the Greeks? The Puritans encouraged sports that glorified and honored God. That is exactly what the Greek sports were like. All sports were ways to honor and please the gods. So has that much really changed?