Although sport and religion might seem to have very little in common, they have been joint historically. Apart from being built on a rigid set of values, both sport and religion require focus, discipline, and compliance. In addition, the nature of sport often has religious roots, historically being a part of a particular religious tradition (Bain-Selbo & Sapp, 2016). Therefore, although having seemingly nothing in common at first glance, sport and religion have turned out to be interconnected.
The pursuit of a specific goal, be it the spiritual enlightenment or the triumph of winning a competition, both sport and religion offer their followers the experience of personal progress. The described similarity might seem quite random, yet the introduction into the history of several sport types will show that they used to be an extension of religion, namely, a particular religious tradition or a part of a certain religious ceremony (Trothen, 2019). Finally, just as the culmination of a religious performance of a particular tradition, sport provides an emotional reward for every participant. Some of the most prominent members of a team may receive public recognition. Thus, sport and religion rub shoulders in a range of areas despite the seeming lack of connection between them.
However, the fact that some people refuse to view sport as a type of religion is also understandable. Unlike religion, the sport may not necessarily provide the gateway to spiritual growth and, instead, is mostly linked to physical prowess. Therefore, although there are some overlaps between the philosophy of sport and the pone of religion, the two are quite far apart from each other in terms of their context and historical; context.
References
Bain-Selbo, E., & Sapp, D. G. (2016). Understanding sport as a religious phenomenon: An introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Trothen, T. J. (2019). Sport, spirituality, and religion: New Intersections. London, UK: Basel.