About This Blog

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."

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 articles and essays that offer historically-informed critical analysis and explanation of the world of Sportianity. If you have questions or comments, feel free to drop me a line. Send to 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