Hockey as Religion

Thomas Luckmann •  American-Austrian scholar

•  B. 1927 •  Wrote “The Social

Construction of Reality” with Peter Berger in 1966

•  Proponent of the idea that reality “as such” is meaningless/unknowable – that all knowledge/truth is mediated through human experience and interactions

•  Phenomenological sociology – studying human ideas, concepts, through a focus on human interactions

Invisible Religion •  According to Thomas Luckmann, a religion is: •  1) An organization which creates a symbolic

universe in which events that happen in life can be made to make sense. This symbolic universe provides 1) a proper moral code, 2) helps deal with marginal, difficult experiences (like injury or death), and 3) contributes to the construction of the self (personal identity).

•  2) At a certain level of complexity, this organization develops into a religious institution, called an ecclesia. An ecclesia has four characteristics: 1) it has a system of sacred doctrine or teachings; 2) it has sacred specialists or a priesthood; 3) it has it's own legal or judicial system, it's own laws; and 4) it is ecclesiastic - that is, it joins people together in a common cause, and sets that cause outside of normal, everyday life.

•  Where one finds these elements outside of the bounds of traditionally-defined religions, one finds “invisible religion”

Hockey’s symbolic universe •  Tangible things - skates, rinks, pucks •  Less tangible things

–  Competitive –  Dangerous “If there is any blood

on any sweaters, its going to be on their sweaters, not ours… I want you guys to hit these bums so hard,they will be scared to come back in the rink.” (Peewee hockey coach)

–  Aggressive “If you can’t beat them outside in the alley, you can’t beat them inside on the ice.”(Conn Smythe)

–  Masculine (Tim in documentary “I play like a man”)

–  Canadian –  What else?

Hockey’s ecclesia •  Doctrine - formal

rules, regulations (fighting forbidden)

•  Informal rules, behaviours (fighting required)

•  Specialized religious roles - hockey priesthood (coaches, owners, refs) –  vestments

•  Enforcers (policemen?)

Hockey’s ecclesia •  Laity - fans “Among spectators the clearest demonstration of ecclesiastic behaviour should scarcely require documentation to Canadians. The most placid, human person is transformed into a raging, imprecating enthusiast simply by placing her in an arena or before a television set. One might almost say that spectators become, not merely ecclesiastic (“called out of the world”) but ecstatic (“standing outside oneself”) were it not for the fact that the furious hockey fan is not “outside” her proper personal but firmly centred in it.”

Value System

•  “The only thing that really matters in professional hockey or amateur, too, if you really think about it) - is who won - or else, as someone long ago observed, they wouldn’t bother keeping score” (Trent Freyne, “All you have to do is win” 1968)

•  Judge: “Win or lose, this was just a game. This was the last place anyone would have expected an assault to take place and the very last place that one would have expected an adult to assault a child.”” (http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2013/02/26/minor_hockey_coach_sentenced_to_15_days_in_jail_for_tripping_opposing_child_player.html)

Community

•  Individuals in community - “star” players, team identity?

•  “Taking one for the team”?

•  Fans sharing identity

Icons

•  Does the Stanley cup embody the ideals of Hockey?

•  Is it a sacred object?

Heroes/gods •  Rocket

Richard, Wayne Gretsky, Sidney Crosby –  Models of

heroism and manhood

–  Models for behaviour

Suffering

•  Religious glorification of violence and suffering (passion) exemplified in Hockey?

National identity - one nation under Hockey?

•  Hockey night in Canada - longest running, most successful CBC series

•  “National Hockey Day” bill proposed in Parliament in 2013 (3rd Friday in Feb) – (got dropped when election called.)

Nine elements of Hockey that contribute to construction of the

self •  1. A space and time to behave in ways outside the bounds of

everyday behaviour. (Sacred, set apart) •  2. Biographical continuity - child, young adult, parent, grandparent can

play/watch hockey (community) •  3. Provision of situations that allow for clear, unproblematic resolution •  4. Work/play dichotomy disappears (integrating foci) •  5. Unambiguous masculine roles (and by definition, feminine roles) •  6. Excitement, effervescence to those lacking such things in daily life •  7. Counter to urban alienation - a Leafs fan has a community, even if

he knows none of them •  8. Builds affiliation with place (proud to be from Toronto, home of

Leafs) •  9. Builds national identity– Hockey = Canada