The New American Religion: The Rise of Sports and the Decline of Church (2014)

A few academics have noted that religious participation is declining in America, interest in spectator sports is increasing, and the two have a few broad similarities. Therefore, football is the new American religion.

I don't care much about sports or religion, but frankly this article is laughable. They even troubled to throw in the perfunctory "correlation does not equal causation" admonition, as if it makes their line of reasoning any less spurious. Pure junk.