This document discusses the topic of sports and religion. It begins by defining both sports and religion. It notes that sports involve physical activity and skills while religion involves particular systems of faith and worship. It then outlines some similarities between sports and religion, such as how they both convey messages through symbols and emphasize values like cooperation. However, it also discusses differences, noting that religion relies on supernatural beliefs while sports have clear rules and material goals. The document presents observations from a video linking the two topics and provides examples of how some athletes have incorporated religion into their sports. It concludes by stating that religion should not be forced upon sports and athletes should be free to play independently of their country.

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SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY
PEDU 247
TOPIC : SPORTS AND RELIGION
SUBMITTED TO : DR. AJIT KUMAR
topic 11 - BPED 3rd semester

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INDEX
S.NO TOPIC NAME ENROLLMENT NO.
1. WHAT IS SPORTS? GAUTAM SAINI A30138210
2. WHAT IS RELIGION? PRADUMN SAXENA A30138210
3. SPORTS AND RELIGION SIMILARITIES DIVYA YADAV A3013821070
4. SPORTS AND RELIGION
DIFFERENCES
MAYA PRAMIL A30138210
5. VIDEO ON SPORTS AND RELIGION NIKHIL MAYANK A30138210
6. SPORTS AS RELIGION CHETNA A3013821021

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● A human activity involving physical exertion and skill as the primary focus of the activity, with
elements of competition or social participation where rules and patterns of behaviour governing the
activity exist formally through organisations and is generally recognised as a sport.
● Sports are group games and individual activities involving physical activity and skills.
● Sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise , make friends, have fun, learn to play as a
member of a team, learn to play fair, and improve self-esteem .

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TYPES OF SPORTS-
• Individual sports -Individual sports are played by one participant on each competing side.
eg-athletics, swimming, boxing, wrestling etc.
• Dual sports - Dual Sports are played by two competing pairs.
eg-badminton, table tennis, tennis etc.
• Team sports- Team Sports are played by three or more players.eg-volleyball, cricket, football,
basketball etc.

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WHAT IS RELIGION?
● The term religion comes from both Old French and Anglo Norman (1200s AD) and means respect for
sense of right, moral obligation, sanctity, what is sacred, reverence for the gods. It is ultimately derived
from the Latin word religiō.
● Religion is particular system of faith and worship.
● It’s expressed as one’s relationship with or attitude toward gods or spirits; in more humanistic or naturalistic
forms of religion, they are expressed in terms of one’s relationship with or attitudes toward the broader
human community or the natural world.
● Believers and worshippers participate in and are often enjoined to perform devotional or contemplative
practices such as prayer, meditation, or particular rituals. Worship, moral conduct, right belief, and
participation in religious institutions are among the constituent elements of the religious life.

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Example :
There are many religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.

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SPORTS AND RELIGION SIMILARITIES
Sport and religion are closely related on a number
of levels:
● Historically, many sports developed as part of
religious festivals.
● Sport is often used as a metaphor for religious
striving.
● Sporting events evoke passionate
commitment similar to that of religious
festivals.

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● Religion and sport are symbolic systems that emphasize similar values and goals, including transcendence of
limited personal desires in favor of nonmaterial achievements or experiences and an emphasis on cooperation
and personal sacrifice for the good of the group.
● Both religion and sport convey their message by means of powerful symbols.
● Both emerge out of a similar quest for perfection in body, mind, and spirit.
● Sports emphasize physical training and discipline for physical development, and religions emphasize physical
control and mental discipline for spiritual development.

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SPORTS AND RELIGION DIFFERENCES
● There are differences involved between sports and religion. Human actions in religion are based on
beliefs, events, meanings and rituals that are mystical and based on sacred and supernatural realms
whereas the beliefs, meanings, events and rituals defining human action in sports are distinct and not
governed by divine nature.
● Whereas religion is supernatural, sports are not because they make use of concrete and tangible
events, which are not grounded in supernatural beings. In addition, spiritual goals are evident in
religion whereas in sports, material goals are sought.

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● Religion relies on faith while sports are basically rooted in distinct, clear-cut rules and relationships.
●In religion, one’s faith is what determines his/her commitment and attachment to religion. In sports on the
other hand, the ability to abide by the rules and liaise well with other players governs the commitment and
success to be achieved.
●There is a lot of cooperation in religion because all the followers seek a common goal, which is spiritual
nourishment and is not associated with any form of material reward
●Sports on the other hand entail competition between opponents, in search for material reward.
●in sports, athletes seek success grounded in human nature, whereas the success derived in religion is
grounded in divine inspiration.

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OBSERVATIONS - VIDEO ON SPORTS AND RELIGION
- “The religion bias gave the necessary dramatic twist to the plot,” says Amin. “People … could
relate to it because you have so many instances of people ridiculed and harassed because they
belong to a particular race or religion.”
- In the film, Shah Rukh Khan plays the Muslim captain of the Indian men’s team who
misses a do-or-die penalty shootout against arch rival Pakistan in the final of a world
championship, triggering charges of match-fixing and leading to his ouster.But he returns seven
years later as the coach of a ragtag women’s national team and guides them to victory at a world
championship.
- The film appealed to audiences because it depicted a Muslim hockey player being ridiculed and
branded a traitor only because of his religion.

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- It depicted “sense of reality and enhanced the appeal and sensitiveness of the script”.
- Not that there were no women in “Chak De! India”. There were 16 of them, with little or no
experience of acting, essaying the roles of hockey players from different states.

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SPORTS AS RELIGION
Hakeem Olajuwon:
As a devout Muslim,
Hakeem Olajuwon
observes the Islamic
festival of Ramadan
by fasting for an
entire month. In 1994
and 1995, the Houston Rockets were playing in the
NBA championships during Ramadan. Despite his
fasting, Olajuwon still helped lead the Rockets to back-
to-back championships.
Jonathan Edwards:
He was a British triple
jumper having won
Olympic, World and
European championships.
At the time, he held strong
Christian beliefs and refused to compete on Sundays.
Because of this belief, Edwards lost out on the 1991
World Championships. Interestingly enough, in 1993,
he changed his mind after discussions with his father, a
clergyman, and decided it was not against his faith to
compete on Sundays.

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● Like religion, sports convey important lessons about values and culturally appropriate behavior.
The lessons they teach are similar, and both religion and sports use symbols as their primary means of
communication.

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★ Religion must not be forced on sports. Independent of the
country sports persons must be free to play.

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REFERENCE
1. https://cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/sports-religion
2. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport&ved
=2ahUKEwjxg_q3jrP7AhUdyzgGHT-GDFoQFnoECA0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2-
X57qbRtjxnNB5kpQ4UVP
3. References : Bryant, J. E., & McElroy, M. (1997). Sociological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise.
Englewood, CO: Morton Publishing Company.
4. https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-31155920071228
5. https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/kb/what-is-sport
6. http://www.healthofchildren.com/S/Sports.html#ixzz7kvJW46i7
7. https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=senproj_s2020