Playing in the Zone: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Sports

by Andrew Cooper

Our ancient ancestors believed that sports were a gift of the gods—that they were potent rituals, which, if performed correctly, would placate unseen powers, honor departed heroes, or improve the harvests. Today, sports still speak to deep yearnings, imaginings, and the irreducible need people feel to resonate with themselves and their world. But the hidden meaning, or "secret life," that lies at the heart of sports and gives them their force and magic goes largely unnoticed. The old baseball hand Wes Westrum once said, "Baseball is like church. Many attend, but few understand"—and the same could be said for sports in general.

In Playing in the Zone, Andrew Cooper explores this inner dimension of sports, drawing on mythology, the history of religion, his observations on popular culture, and a wonderful array of stories and anecdotes about the world's most accomplished athletes.

The author—a clinical psychologist and longtime Zen student—compares the intense focus of the mind that is often required in spiritual practice with the experience of "playing in the zone"—that quality of mind where the most remarkable athletic feats seem to occur effortlessly. He explores the "dark side" of sports, its brutality and violence, showing how it can also provide fertile ground for self-awareness and self-transformation. Particularly insightful is the author's discussion of how the heightened drama of sports offers a powerful vehicle for the expression of mythic imagery and symbols in popular culture.

Genres: Sports

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 1998

Reviews

[Zohar Abramovitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book in my sports psychology studies, this really interesting little book explores the importance of sport in human experience and the underlying mythic themes that help to explain why sports hold such a powerful hold on the lives and imaginations of so many. It introduced me for the first time to the Greek concept of "mana," a sort of life force energy that is expended, shared and given its greatest expression in the performance of human expression, whether that be in the realm of physical movement, music, art or any number of other activities. In our culture today, we don't tend to think much about this stuff, but this book is suggesting that maybe we should. As the subtitle suggests, there really is a spiritual dimension to sports, despite the greed, avarice and nonsense that has often become associated with it in the modern era.

[Hedwig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on this book in the sports section of a Barnes and Noble and fell in love with it. I had never questioned my love of sports, or thought about why fandom is huge part of many cultures, or why we use mythological language to describe it.
The way Andrew Cooper talks about sport in this book made me laugh and think. He explores it seriously, without being overly serious. I keep picking this book up and reading big chunks of it again and again and as I evolve as an athlete and a fan, I find new things each time. I LOVED the anecdotes about the running monks and the Steelers fan who left behind a note for a (botched) suicide attempt that said: "I just can't stand their fumbling anymore."

[Marty Greenwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty heady tome. Zen and Buddhist thought prevail throughout. Toward the end I was skimming to get to a sports analogies. Kinda pushed me into thinking of reading the book: Golf in the Kingdom. Score of 75