Few would deny America's devotion to sports; however, many would gloss over it as all of a piece. To do that, as William J. Baker shows us, is to miss the fascinating variety of experiences at the intersection of sports and religion - and the ramifications of such on a national citizenry defined, as Baker writes, "by the team they cheer on Saturday and the church they attend on Sunday.”

WILLIAM J. BAKER is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Maine. His books include Playing with God: Religion and Modern Sport, If Christ Came to the Olympics, Jesse Owens: An American Life, and Sports in the Western World.