Let's start with the name. "Sportianity" is a term coined by legendary sportswriter Frank Deford. He used it in a 1976 Sports Illustrated series on religion in sport (read more about that series here). Deford used it in a mostly negative sense, implying that Sportianity was a corruption of true Christianity; it was a religion "more devoted to exploiting sport than to serving it."
At this blog you can expect to read historically-informed articles and essays that critically analyze and explain the world of Sportianity. If you have questions, comments, free to get in touch at sportianity at gmail dot com. You can follow @sportianity on twitter as well. For more about me and my scholarly work, you can check out my personal website.
-Paul Putz
I do not use it in the negative sense implied by Deford. Rather "Sportianity" is meant as a descriptive term for the unique cultural world that stands at the intersection of sports and (mostly evangelical Protestant) Christianity. It is inhabited by institutions like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, and others. It is championed by media/publications like Sports Spectrum. And it is represented by celebrity athletes like Tim Tebow, Stephen Curry, and Maya Moore.
At this blog you can expect to read historically-informed articles and essays that critically analyze and explain the world of Sportianity. If you have questions, comments, free to get in touch at sportianity at gmail dot com. You can follow @sportianity on twitter as well. For more about me and my scholarly work, you can check out my personal website.
-Paul Putz
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