What does “Fever Pitch” (film, 1997) teach us about liturgy?
To be honest, this post has been churning in my head for twelve months. The title has gone from “What does the Football World Cup teach us…” to “What does the [rugby] Six Nations...” to “What does the Cricket World Cup….” All of these sporting events are festivals; a celebration of their sports. Assiduous preparations are made, invitations are sent out (though these invitations require credit card numbers) and the whole thing is eagerly anticipated. Some of the greatest stars of their realm are assembled from all over the world and a wondrous drama unfolds. But what has often struck me most is the crowd. For them, the drama doesn’t start when the match starts. They have all been eagerly anticipating this moment for days or weeks, the excitement building up as the day draws near. They will know everything there is to know about their team and its players, eagerly feeding their hunger for more knowledge through news outlets and social media; and they will have debated wi