Babe Ruth: Religious Icon
Babe Ruth is a mythic figure in American baseball history. His extraordinary skills and legendary exploits are central to the idea of baseball as America’s national pastime and are woven into the fabric of American history and iconography. Much has been written about Ruth’s life,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/5/337 |
| _version_ | 1818172086391144448 |
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| author | Rebecca Alpert |
| author_facet | Rebecca Alpert |
| author_sort | Rebecca Alpert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Babe Ruth is a mythic figure in American baseball history. His extraordinary skills and legendary exploits are central to the idea of baseball as America’s national pastime and are woven into the fabric of American history and iconography. Much has been written about Ruth’s life, his extraordinary physical powers, and the legends that grew up around him that made him a mythic figure. The story of Babe Ruth as it has been told, however, has not included its meaning from the perspective of the study of religion and sport. This paper explores the life and legends of Babe Ruth to illustrate the significance of Ruth’s identity as a Catholic in early twentieth-century America and the fundamental connections between Ruth’s story and the Christian myth and ritual that is foundational to American civil religion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T19:07:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad80afa61ac04632b54fe5a8a610b98e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T19:07:01Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad80afa61ac04632b54fe5a8a610b98e2022-12-22T00:53:52ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442019-05-0110533710.3390/rel10050337rel10050337Babe Ruth: Religious IconRebecca Alpert0Department of Religion, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USABabe Ruth is a mythic figure in American baseball history. His extraordinary skills and legendary exploits are central to the idea of baseball as America’s national pastime and are woven into the fabric of American history and iconography. Much has been written about Ruth’s life, his extraordinary physical powers, and the legends that grew up around him that made him a mythic figure. The story of Babe Ruth as it has been told, however, has not included its meaning from the perspective of the study of religion and sport. This paper explores the life and legends of Babe Ruth to illustrate the significance of Ruth’s identity as a Catholic in early twentieth-century America and the fundamental connections between Ruth’s story and the Christian myth and ritual that is foundational to American civil religion.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/5/337BaseballBabe RuthAmerican Catholicism |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca Alpert Babe Ruth: Religious Icon Religions Baseball Babe Ruth American Catholicism |
| title | Babe Ruth: Religious Icon |
| title_full | Babe Ruth: Religious Icon |
| title_fullStr | Babe Ruth: Religious Icon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Babe Ruth: Religious Icon |
| title_short | Babe Ruth: Religious Icon |
| title_sort | babe ruth religious icon |
| topic | Baseball Babe Ruth American Catholicism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/5/337 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rebeccaalpert baberuthreligiousicon |