by Gerald a. Walford (Author)
This book traces the forces of sport, religion and war from the cave man to modern society. Sport, religion and war were all extremely interrelated as all three factors were to honor their gods. As society progressed, these three forces separated and fought each other in trying to become the dominate one. The church was against sport as it took away time and interest from religion but supported war in their quest for domination over the non-believers. It was a brutal time period in history. From this time period we move into modern sport were we are back into the early era's of civilization. We now have religion heavily influencing sport with praying before games; crossing the chest before basketball free throws; sport camps using sport to indoctrinate youth; games and activities are rearranged for religious purposes; athletes giving autographs with biblical quotes or references; fans attending sporting events with religious and biblical quotations signs and clothing; athletes being interviewed express how God and Jesus helped them win. War is maintained throughout all the years of civilization.
Author Biography
Dr. Gerald A. Walford earned his Ph. D. from the University of Maryland. He has written many books on sport sciences, skill learning, and teaching. His doctoral studies was on psychology and the understanding and use of humor. Walford has coached Division 1 university hockey and golf. he is a member of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA)