DY: And that’s why I say I’m conflicted. I mean, it could be it’s all irrelevant. Because there were no other idols at the entrances to major cities holding balls, which is kind of the point.
The problem is, I find it inconceivable to assign a general symbolism to holding a ball because, well, it’s kinda foolish. We find a random statue and we know what the symbolism behind it is? How do we know this? If we know this because we know what the Ovdei Avodah Zarah mean/believe in, then there’s no reason that we nowadays don’t know the same things. And if we know this because that’s just a general assumption we’re making, then what makes it right? Hilchos Avodah Zarah aren’t Talui in theoretical rules or Klalim. It’s a simple question: is/was this worshiped or not? So it seems foolish for us to give Klalim when such Klalim are irrelevant. If there’s a figure holding a ball that isn’t worshiped (I remember my Rebbe who once, based on your assumptions, thought that our high school basketball trophies were Avodah Zarah because it holds a ball), then it’s not Avodah Zarah. Now, maybe because of Atlas Chazal decided to be Choshesh for all ball-holding statues. But again, the Gemara tells us that it’s because this was what we can assume was worshiped. Why are we assuming something was worshiped unless, you know, it was actually worshiped?