Modern day sportspeople and spectators might readily use the divine name or Jesus Christ as expletives of frustration or exclamations of triumph, but they would rarely make a connection between games and religion. Support for one's team might occasionally reach the heights of religious zeal but associating athletic prowess with piety would be far from the thinking of most modern performers and onlookers. Yet there are moments when even our modern sports spectaculars are conducted with quasi-religious rituals. That games and gods belonged together was taken for granted in the ancient world. This collection of essays brings together various writers, biblical scholars, academics, and athletes to examine sport and religion. It looks at sport from the ancient Greek times, the Old and New Testaments, through to the modern era. The chapters examine sport and spirituality, sport femininity and a theology of the body, as well as sailing and spirituality. Contributors come from Australia and the USA and include Dr. Synthia Sydnor, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois.

Gordon Preece, has held various academic positions in Australia and has PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary and is Executive Director of Urban Seed in Melbourne. Rob Hess is a Senior Lecturer in Sport History with the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Victoria University.