Athletes and Pre-Game Rituals
Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop , Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form. From The Hilltop Archives Originally published in The Hilltop , Howard University — October 10th, 2003 __________________________________________________________________________________ Athletes and Pre-Game Rituals Athletics is a practice in polytheism. Sports are religion. The court, the field, the track, they are all holy grounds upon which only a chosen few may dwell. Their prayer to the God of Victory sometimes goes unanswered; but despite an absence of grace, their faith endures. Taking nothing away from the institutions of established religions, athletes practice a different type of sacrament. Dr. Greg Carr of the African American Studies Department gave an historical definition of...