The NFL Tells a Tale of Spirituality in our Society

The infamous declaration by Friedrich Nietzsche that "God is Dead" is often divorced from the context of Nietzsche's observations. In the medieval European city, the most important physical presence in any city was the Cathedral or Church. It was a physical manifestation of the place of God and religion in the life of the people who lived there.

In the modern city, buildings of commerce had taken the place of the Cathedral and commerce had taken the place of religion as the most prominent driving and organizing force in modern life. In his book, The Gay Science, Nietzsche elaborates that man has killed God by removing God from the center of his life. The truth in Nietzsche's critique is that during the 1900s a preponderance of "modern" people began to live as if God did not matter or exist and their actions showed a belief in materialism as an ends not as a means.

Materialism is the belief that only that which is material or physical is real or should matter and when applied to consumption, that mankind is primarily enhanced through the accumulation of wealth and the consumption and possession of goods. The problem with materialism is that it is partially true; as having some financial resources and goods makes a big difference when one is dealing with the basic needs in life. (See my earlier blog on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in relation to affluence and self-fulfillment.)

What does the National Football League (NFL) in general and the new stadium in the Dallas Metroplex tell us about spirituality in today's society?

Let me digress for a moment. When I was a senior in high school at Kenmore West in a suburb of Buffalo, NY back in 1976, I took a ten week course in Sports Literature. For my final project I wrote a futuristic account of how the NFL had become a religion, its cheers had become prayers, its stadiums had become cathedrals and football games had become ritual public celebrations. I received an A+ on that assignment.

The popularity of the NFL has shown us that we are still fascinated by gladiators competing nearly 2000 years after the peak of Rome, that we still seek a shared ritualistic event and that as our basic needs are met and society has attained unprecedented historical affluence that entertainment, with the power to create an optimal experience, has become a substitute for the transformative experiences that were once provided only in churches and temples or in Rome in the Coliseum.

Everyday life pales against the back drop of participating as a fanatic or voyeur in these large arena/stadium events. We can enjoy and become lost in the experience, even though we know that it is "just a game".

The aura of the NFL should remind us that we are still connected to the brutal and physical nature of life and survival. It also tells us that we seek connection to something bigger than ourselves, we enjoy participating in ritual as a means of connection and that these experiences provide a brief but transformative alternative reality that is powerful.

When fully engaged in one's spiritual path, it is important to stay grounded in the brutal and physical nature of the world. True transformation or enlightenment comes after accepting the reality of human nature and human capacity for good and evil.

When creating from a place of personal vision and self empowerment, we not only have the ability to bring our passion and our values into the tangible world but in doing so, we open the door to creating a powerful experience that creates meaning for ourselves and a connection to others.