Rudy and Religion

In the film Rudy, we see a zealous young man from the midst of poverty and bad grades rise to achieve the impossible, to play in a game of National Title football. I think the film can be stratified into two segments, the initial intentional message and the deeper level unintentional aftertaste.

By the end of the film, Rudy Reutteger has, through his goal of playing in a game of Notre-Dame football, gotten a job, friends, and an education. His external issues were resolutely solved by wanting to play football. And his "want" was harder than anyone else in his family or on his team. His sheer determination and grit to train hard, get good grades, and maintain character allow him the opportunity to rise above, pulling himself up by his bootstraps, and become the hero to his self-appointed story line. The moral of the story is that these lessons he has had to learn through football have allowed him to succeed "on and off the field." As described in Reid's "Sport, Education and the Meaning of Victory", the vicarious theatre that sports should be has proven a worthwhile endeavor.

However, I couldn't help an uneasy feeling after watching. From the time this man was a boy, he obsessed over this college team. Which is fine and all, I used to pretend I was Bear Bryant, of Crimson Tide fame, when I was a boy. But I never played football outside the backyard, like Rudy. He was, and became, not so much a specimen of football prowess as much as just a super-fan. He was entranced by the allure of running through the tunnel and slapping the signs and feeling the glory of it all, as opposed to winning a title or playing well or wanting the team to win just that game. He just up and quit when he found out he wouldn't be able to dress. His motivations were entirely for this aim. He made the aesthetic of Notre-Dame a kind of idol to which everything, his girlfriend, his family, his schoolwork, his time, and his money all came subservient to. Devotion, sacrifice, love, glory, and beauty are all religiously tinted words Rudy would have described in reference to that football program. I think the fact that he gained back some of what he sacrificed (education, job, family) is not a sufficient justification for putting all those up for grabs merely to be idolized like he did the players he worshiped in his childhood.

Roll Tide, though...