Eric Bain-Selbo is the Department Head of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University and Co-Founder of the WKU Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility. In this presentation, Bain-Selbo highlights the religious dimensions of violence and the role of violence in the religion and culture of the South. Extending into popular culture, he then will make the case that sport—particularly American football—has been a cultural phenomenon in the South that has close ties with religion and violence. Indeed, American football has come to play a central role in the civil religion of the South, fueled in part by its violent nature. Dr. Bain-Selbo will conclude by drawing important lessons from this case study—lessons that will help us to see both religion and sport in a new light.