The practice of athletic competitions continues to be criticised by some Christian thinkers being a sort of idolatry, wherein "human beings extol them selves, adore themselves, sacrifice themselves and reward on their own.
Nationalism is usually apparent during the pursuit of sport, or in its reporting: men and women contend in national teams, or commentators and audiences can undertake a partisan casino sollution watch. Occasionally, these kinds of tensions may lead to violent confrontation among players or spectators in and outside of the sporting location, as in the Football War.