Sacred Space and Communal Purpose: an Exploraton of Athletics, Learning and Spirituality
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SACRED SPACE AND COMMUNAL PURPOSE: AN EXPLORATON OF ATHLETICS, LEARNING AND SPIRITUALITY A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies and of The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies By Suzanne L. Bailey, B.A. Georgetown University Washington, D.C. May 2009 SACRED SPACE AND COMMUNAL PURPOSE: AN EXPLORATON OF ATHLETICS, LEARNING AND SPIRITUALITY Suzanne L. Bailey, B.A. Mentor: William J. O’Brien, Ph.D. ABSTRACT As a life-long athlete privileged to compete at the collegiate and international levels, and as a teacher and coach for nearly twenty years, I am fairly conversant in the realms of athletics and learning. The integration of spirituality provides an inviting challenge, as I came to realize over my course of study in the Liberal Studies Program that there has been an underlying but unarticulated spiritual dimension to my pursuits as athlete and educator. Thus, my objective in this thesis is to fuse the realms of athletics, education and spirituality. While I define myself without hesitation as a “team-sport athlete,” I am interested in exploring what this requires of an individual within a community of teammates. This concept of an individual’s role in a team setting is especially compelling in its comparison with an individual’s relationship to a spiritual community. The lives of fourth-century Christian hermits—known as the “spiritual athletes”—in The Desert Fathers , and the Carthusian monks of the film Into Great Silence serve as extraordinary examples of individual effort and sacrifice in support of God-centered community. Additionally, the “marathon monks” of Japan’s Tendai sect of Buddhism demonstrate that they are individually accountable not only to themselves, but also to others who have ii embraced a like calling. Despite the fiercely solitary nature of the monks’ practice— training for a 1,000-day marathon—they need one another to survive and to flourish. In the secular world, philosophies of sport present the connection between a life “excellently lived”—grounded in values of respect, honor, decency, self-awareness and humility—and the “practice” of athletics. I believe sport teaches these shared principles of ethical living as powerfully as any vehicle, through the education of the “whole person.” Through contrasting this ideal with the controversy surrounding the role of athletics in higher education, corruption in both amateur and professional ranks, and a crisis in youth sports, I hope to illuminate the danger inherent in these values becoming distorted. This thesis provides an opportunity to explore and articulate a foundation of spirituality that is my own, born through my experience in sport and education, and infused with my strong sense of identity as an athlete. The writing incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach. Touchstones from contemporary sport are interspersed with analyses from philosophical, sociological, theological and pedagogical perspectives. From the role of the gods in the funeral games for Patroklos in Homer’s Iliad to the presence of a “presence” in the arena of sport today, Chapter 1, From Nik ē Athena to Touchdown Jesus, seeks to establish a link between sport and spirituality. Chapter 2, Sacred Spaces for Individuals and Groups, defines “sacred space” as a deeply personal devotion to a purpose or discipline, an inviolable “place” where one “goes” either alone or communally. The relationship between an individual and her or his community is expanded upon in Chapter 3, Communal Purpose iii and the Team. By focusing on diverse “guides,” Chapter 4, Spiritual Athletes as Guides, explores the idea that within a religious community one may actually become a “solitudinarian” in order to achieve solidarity. This concept has powerful connections to team-building. Chapter 5, Implications for an Integral Education, presents the potential of athletics to teach accountability and encourage self-knowledge, and underscores the fundamental roles of both coaches and parents. While sport per se is not a substitute for an articulated value system, profound opportunities exist for spiritual education through sport. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank all of my professors in the Liberal Studies Program—Arnold Bradford, Chester Gillis, Abby Johnson, Charles McNelis, Percy North, George O’Brien, Anthony Tambasco and especially Bill O’Brien, my mentor and “coach”—for inspiring me to explore new territories, ask questions, think originally and trust that I have something to say. Many thanks to Dr. Phyllis O’Callaghan for her confidence that I could contribute to and thrive in the Liberal Studies Program, and to Anne Ridder for her help along the way. I am grateful to Susan M. Haberlandt, whose encouragement continually helps me take risks that lead to growth. Her passion for ideas is contagious; her sense of humor offers the gift of perspective; and her generous support made it possible for me to be a student again. Finally, thanks to all of my teammates and coaches, who are among the finest teachers I could have asked for. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v CHAPTER 1. FROM NIK Ē ATHENA TO TOUCHDOWN JESUS 1 CHAPTER 2. SACRED SPACES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS 27 CHAPTER 3. COMMUNAL PURPOSE AND THE TEAM 55 CHAPTER 4. SPIRITUAL ATHLETES AS GUIDES 89 CHAPTER 5. IMPLICATIONS FOR AN INTEGRAL EDUCATION 129 BIBLIOGRAPHY 177 vi CHAPTER 1 FROM NIK Ē ATHENA TO TOUCHDOWN JESUS On the eve of the 2007 Major League Baseball World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies, Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino was asked if he planned to attend the opening game at Fenway Park. Merino responded incredulously, “Am I going to the World Series? That’s like asking me if I’m going to church next Sunday.” 1 Former MLB player, coach, manager and scout, Wes Westrum, echoed the sentiment, yet offered a caution: “Baseball is like church. Many attend, but few understand.” 2 While knowing in a ball game when a situation calls for, and recognizing the movement of, a pitcher’s cutter, curveball, or changeup may not be on par with understanding the patterns, rituals, and sacred acts of liturgy, or thoughtfully participating in a debate over ex opere operantis ,3 the complexities of sport and its social role can at times be as enigmatic to the uninitiated as God’s own mystery. What emerges with clarity, however, is the undeniable and compelling relationship between athletics and spirituality. Furthermore, this connection reveals abundant opportunity for learning, from 1 William C. Rhoden, “No Time Like the Present for Boston Fans,” New York Times , October 23, 2007, C14. 2 Andrew Cooper, Playing in the Zone: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Sports (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1998), 1. 3 Literally means, “From the work of the one doing the work.” A reference to a complex question related to the administration of sacred rites. For a useful definition, see Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 48. 1 sources as diverse as the example of fourth-century “spiritual guides,” to the “lessons” offered—for better or for worse—by modern-day athletes and educators. From the role of the gods in ancient Greek sporting endeavors to the mural visible from Notre Dame Stadium which depicts Jesus, arms raised, some say in recognition of a touchdown, connections between sport and spirituality are culturally manifested. Andrew Cooper wrote: As linguistic and anthropological study has shown, we make sense of experience through a network of meaningful forms that are culturally transmitted . Notions of fundamental meaning and value—the nature of self, of good and evil, of sacred and profane, and the like—constitute what the religious historian Elaine Pagels calls ‘our mental architecture.’ Whether we consciously believe them or not, these ideas shape our experience. So it is with sport. 4 A close examination of one of the earliest—and most famous—literary accounts of organized sport in western civilization, contrasted with the profound and complex role of sport in today’s society provides a fascinating window into the evolving relationship between athletics and spirituality. The presence of the gods in the funeral games of Book XXIII of Homer’s Iliad illuminates important cultural constructs of ancient Greece. The rites for Patroklos—a respected warrior and close friend to Achilleus, one of the greatest heroes of the Trojan War—highlighted a community focus and reflected the contemporaneous advent of the Olympic Games, a festival of sport that brought diverse peoples together. James Gibson, assistant professor of philosophy and 4 Cooper, 17. 2 religion at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, asserted that “the original Olympics were rooted in Greek religion with mythological gods represented by various teams. Conflicts between rival Greek cities stopped [for the duration of] the pageantry, ritual and celebration.” 5 The gods who insinuated themselves into the sporting events were exclusively high-Olympian; however, the designation carried with it no prescriptions for “good” or lofty behavior. Such a moral system was not part of the coda for Homer’s gods. Sport in the Iliad offered men the opportunity to transcend their differences through moments of human excellence, while for the gods sport was simply sport. Mary Lefkowitz wrote, “Even though matters of life and death are not involved, Apollo and Athena . intervene, helping the men they favor in the games and harming the men they hate.” 6 While the gods played, albeit not very nicely, men—in the spirit of cooperation and conflict resolution—competed vigorously and worked earnestly to put aside differences. The spirit of cooperation and conflict resolution was seen poignantly in the relationship between Achilleus and Agamemnon, King of the Argives.