Philosophy of Sport. A Critical Review of Contemporary Debates

Abstract

Although sport is a social practice with a long history and one that now holds a certain more or less direct relevance in the lives of many people, the philosophical analysis of this phenomenon is fairly recent. While some contributions were presented as early as the 1930s, the philosophy of sport as an autonomous discipline only developed from the 1970s onward. Whereas the earliest contributions were situated within the philosophy of education and regarded sport as a vehicle for the formation of the individual, more recent literature has begun to apply philosophical methods and concepts to every domain of sporting practice. As we shall see in this brief and inevitably partial reconstruction of the debate, in recent years metaphysical, ontological, aesthetic, ethical, and political questions have been examined. Although the topics addressed are many, those that will be analyzed in greater detail concern the nature of sport, doping, fandom, and the inclusion of women. The final section deals with two areas – esports and combat sports – that are emerging and will, in our view, undergo significant development in the coming years.