A reader wrote to respond to my suggestion that high culture is “sacred” and pop culture “profane,” citing the example of sports. Here’s my response: A football game often is a quasi-religious experience, but I’m not sure we use the same language to describe it. If someone slashed da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” it would be described as a “desecration” or “sacrilege”; if someone tears up a Seahawks banner or jersy, it would be provocative but I’m not sure it would be described in terms of a violation of the sacred.
Another example: After a stirring play in the theater, the crowd doesn’t rush the stage; there’s a boundary that cannot be crossed. After a football game, the fans all rush onto the playing field; it’s not holy ground, and there aren’t taboos against trampling on it.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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