Book Review: Violence in Southern Sport and Culture, by Eric Bain-Selbo

When it comes to sports and violence, the sport that comes to mind most often is football. And no place is more famous for football than the American south. This group of people is absolutely crazy about this sport, as modern-day gladiators line the field, waiting for their turn to hit somebody. But when it comes to the south, the other thing the people there are known for is religion. It is known as the “Bible Belt” for a reason, with a church seemingly on every corner. With sports viewed as an expression of religious rites, how then does it quantify having violence within? This book details all of that through a football game format: 4 quarters and overtime when necessary.

The first quarter looks at religious violence. This has obviously grown more prevalent over the last several years. Islamic terrorists wage their jihad (holy war) around the world. People from other religions commit violent acts in the name of their deity. It has, unfortunately, become a part of the lives of some religion. The second quarter deals with the violence of football. Bruising blocks, pounding tackles, and hard hits characterize every aspect of this game. The author does not at all support what he deems as irrational violence. He believes that it is unnecessary and that we should most definitely have second thoughts about viewing this game and supporting it. But, as the third quarter elaborates, this game in the south has become a religion. People religiously go to college football games on Saturday. They paint their bodies, pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, for tickets, and show a sense of devotion to their specific team that spans for generations. The fourth quarter finally sums up the conclusions of the author, which I have attempted to lay out above. 

When it came to this book, I did not know what to expect. But here are a few thoughts: 1) I do not necessarily agree that the violence of the sport is irrational. The people who play this game love what they do. They would not dream of doing anything else with their lives now. That dedication to their cause is what is deemed as religious on the athlete’s part. 2) For Christians, I truly believe that we must look deep into our hearts when considering sports. While they may be important to us, we must not allow them to become the gods of our lives. We must be careful about this. For these reasons, I give this book 3 stars out of 5. 

WHERE TO BUY THIS BOOK:

http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319500584

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK:

Bain-Selbo, Eric. Violence in Southern Sport and Culture: Sacred Battles on the Gridiron. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International, 2017.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL: I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Springer book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.