A short list of commercials and events with religious underpinnings....
The Tebow Superbowl Ad: Offense, Defense, or Interference?
The Tebow family are in the missionary business, and the ad they produced for Focus on the Family used their son’s football stardom to good effect. But what were they really selling?
Proselytizing the Pros: Christianity in Big-Time Sports
Mark McGwire gives thanks to “the man upstairs” as he confesses his steroid use, Tiger Woods is publicly urged to find Jesus—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, or the football, as the case may be, when it comes to the link between sports and evangelical Christianity.
Atlanta Falcons “Defend the Dome”: Football, Religion, and Existential Power
The Atlanta Falcons, defenders of the Georgia Dome, “fought, harassed, stuffed, smothered, and smacked” their way to victory last week. What is it about football that brings out such primal intensity in its fans?
Super Bowl Sunday, American Holy Day
Indignant responses to the Janet Jackson nipple slip and the somber post-9/11 halftime show reveal glimpses of the sanctity of this yearly ritual, but it’s also in the creation of icons, the reinforcement of rules, and Americans telling themselves stories about themselves.
Super Bowl Sunday, American Holy Day
Indignant responses to the Janet Jackson nipple slip and the somber post-9/11 halftime show reveal glimpses of the sanctity of this yearly ritual, but it’s also in the creation of icons, the reinforcement of rules, and Americans telling themselves stories about themselves.