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By: Marc Andreottola

Marc Andreottola — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:47:57 +0000

Hi Nathan,
Interesting assessment of how the new conception of sport and nationalism coincides with the “Old” conecption of prophecy and biblical apocalypse. It’s noteworthy to mention that, for the opening Olynpics spectacle, the Chinese were ethnically selective & used the facial & physical features of a certain group to represent all groups in China–while the Russians were basically committing ethnic cleansing in Georgia. I guess what I find interesting here is that you interweave the notion of “prophecy”–which has (atleast) two, somewhat interwoven, shades: the biblical, apocalyptic kind & the kind by which one group asserts their superiority over another, simply because it was “written”, “prophecy”…
Nice to be over here in your blogworld. There needs to be more imaginative scholarly journalists like you.
Marc

By: Nathan

Nathan — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:54:16 +0000

Could be, and I think it might be a mistake on his part to think so. There was certainly downright idolatry in the original Olympics—such as the elevation of athletes to gods—but there was also the cessation of hostilities. This is nothing if not an eschaton moment! Take the circus too, which Stringfellow loved. There are certainly idolatrous moments in circuses, but what he focused on was the eschaton.

The idea of sports as eschaton was taught to me by my uncle. On a trip we did together, he spent a lot of time explaining what he would do if he were emperor of the world. Part of that whole scheme was that, when wars are all over, sports will be very important. Our competitive side will need them as an outlet.

Of course I, being no good at sports, resisted that idea at first, but since I have come to believe it.

By: BT

BT — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:34:02 +0000

Hmm, just a minor comment that I think W. S. would probably default to viewing the Olympics in relation to idolatry, and as too caught up in nationalism, rather than in a more positive or hopeful light. (Circus athleticism is different, though, as a parody of, and taunt to, the more traditional athleticism.)

“…idols can be readily discerned acting in concert, aiding and abetting one another. The idol of sports illustrates how this occurs, notably where zealous attention to sports distracts people from the wiles of other idols. It is not just happenstance that the most totalitarian racist regime in the world — South Africa — is so passionate about athletics. It is no mere coincidence that it was during the 1967 World Series in America that the Pentagon was engaged in determining the contingent assignments of federal military forces for riot duty in the cities…” (_Impostures of God_, pp. 45-46; 1969)