The Church of Baseball, the Fetish of Coca-Cola, and the Potlatch of Rock ’n’ Roll
Author(s)
Chidester, David
Abstract
What if we were to take seriously the seemingly casual assertions that baseball operates like a church, Coca-Cola is a sacred object, or that pop song “Louie, Louie” offers us religious meaning? In recent years scholars have turned to the analysis of religion in American culture to help understand not only the character of religion but the ways in which the very term “religion” is continually redefined, applied and extended in cultural discourses and practices. Through this attempt to account for religion’s role in popular American culture, academic models of religion are undergoing revision and their application is expanding. This essay explores popular accounts of baseball, Coca-Cola, and rock ‘n roll as representing three different theoretical models – church, fetish and potlatch – useful in analyzing religion in American popular culture. Each of these three models helps the reader see the degree to which baseball, Coca-Cola and rock ‘n roll might be seen as manifestations of religion. Through the analysis, religion is revealed not only as an intellectual concept but also as a figure of speech whose meaning in continually subject to metaphorical play.
