A Companion to Christianity and Sport in Europe and North America (19th-21st centuries)

Volume 1: Western and Eastern Europe

Edited by Dries Vanysacker Edited by Brian Bolt Edited by Chad Carlson Edited by Ivo Jirásek Edited by Matt Hoven

Book cover: A Companion to Christianity and Sport in Europe and North America (19th-21st centuries)

Extent: 420 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Religious Studies

Series: Religion (Outside a Series)

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(August 2026)

ISBN: 9782503589848

Price: $149.00

In stock

This Companion wants to study the interconnections between Christian traditions and sports and to understand how these key aspects of society influenced / influence in both positive and negative ways our daily life and provide ways to understand human experience and its meaning and purpose.


Why should the Church not be interested in sport?’ Pope Pius XII asked this famous question rhetorically during his address to Italian sportsmen on May 20, 1945. This Companion examines the historical interconnections between various Christian traditions and sports: to understand how a key aspect of society influenced church organizations and lives of citizens, while seeing how churches helped sports to better understand how they impacted human experience and its own meaning and purpose. Bringing together specialists in the field of religious studies, theology, philosophy, history, social sciences, the collection presents the state of the field of the study of Christianity and Sport, creates interdisciplinary and interdenominational engagement, and acts as a stimulus for future research.

  • Edited by Dries Vanysacker
  • Edited by Brian Bolt
  • Edited by Chad Carlson
  • Edited by Ivo Jirásek
  • Edited by Matt Hoven