Note: This is a piece I wrote as a reflection for my church community newsletter. I thought I’d share it more widely here on my blog.
-Heather
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As human beings we have a near constant battle playing out in our instincts. As a social species we know that we are stronger together and survival odds are better when we cooperate, and collaborate in community. But our instincts also tell us that resources are limited, others might take from us, so we must hoard what we can while we can if we are going to survive against outside threats. These competing instincts result in humans forming in-groups of community bonding and out-groups of hostility. We divide ourselves into tribes: Americans and Non-Americans, East and West, Republican and Democrat, Educated and Uneducated, Red States and Blue States, Male and Female, Cis-gender and Transgender, Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and thousands of other belief “tribes”…I could go on and on. We use these tribes to protect our territory and resources from other tribes – fighting with one another, sometimes with devastatingly deadly consequences.
They used to say that the sun didn’t set on the British Empire, and while I am not defending imperialism, one vestigial impact of British colonialism around the globe is the continued play of cricket. For better and worse, British anthropologists introduced the sport to the peoples under their colonial authority as a way to reduce tribal warfare and instead channel these out-group hostilities into symbolic battles. Today, sport continues to provide a structured and safe outlet for tension and pent-up aggression between tribes.
The Olympic Games began on Friday with opening ceremonies filled with national pride from tribes (countries) all over the world showing off their strongest, most talented, and dedicated soldiers (athletes). The Olympics began in Ancient Greece as a way to honor the king of the gods, Zeus, celebrate physical strength, build unity among City-States, and provide opportunities for diplomacy and truce in ongoing conflict. Today, I believe the Olympic Games are still a good thing for world stability in this time of extra-ordinary global tensions. Instead of going to war with one another, we can air out our tensions symbolically through play. Our complex social dynamics simplified into one dramatic battle like the Canada-U.S.A. hockey final.
Also happening this weekend, the Superbowl is an important American cultural ritual. Football is a uniquely American sport. It is not really played in the same way or beloved to the same extent anywhere else in the world. In football, strong players (fighters) line up opposite one another in a traditional battle formation to gain yards (territory) from one another. Whichever team captures the most yards, scores the most points, and wins the game (war). The game is a controlled outlet for collective loyalty and players are not the only ones involved in the war-like ritual. Fans and spectators channel the experience of their hunter-gatherer ancestors through rituals and symbolic expression. Fans dress in team gear, celebrate mascots (team totems), recite team chants, and indulge in irrational “luck” rituals and superstitions (like not shaving, wearing a lucky shirt, sitting in a specific chair, and being careful to not jinx the team). These ritual practices serve to build collective loyalty and a strong sense of community.
Outside of the football game itself being a symbolic opportunity to diffuse tensions of regional differences and loyalties across this diverse nation – the Superbowl is a time for football fans and non-fans alike to gather. You don’t have to watch every NFL game of the regular season to watch the Superbowl. Many Americans host friends, family, and neighbours to watch the Superbowl together and eat and drink indulgently. Traditional Superbowl feast foods include cheesy, carby, meaty, crunchy, greasy and frankly delicious snacks and beer. We break bread and drink beer together while crowded around a sort-of shrine featured in almost every American home – a television. We will welcome people into our real lives to bear witness to a symbolic battle. We will cheer for different teams, and that is okay – because at the end of the day we can agree on one thing – it is just a game. This common foundation is a ground upon which to rebuild all that ails and divides us. And this, to me, seems to be the most Christian thing of all to do on a Sunday.
This year, I will be watching the Superbowl with my brother-in-law. While we agree on many things, like all families we have had our differences over the years. I plan to bake a pull-apart cheesy garlic bread and pour us glasses of (non-alcoholic) beer. We will be together in communion, and perhaps just as the Ancient Greeks honored the king god, Zeus, in gathering in sport, may we honor Jesus, our King, as we break bread together.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:20
We will cheer for different teams. But that’s okay, because, at least in this case, we both agree, it’s just a game.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12