A new interpretation of sport derived from art-related aesthetics

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with understanding sport theory based on art theory. In so doing, in extending their relationship, a deeper appreciation of both may result. In turn, this may enhance our lives. While postmodern theories of art somewhat devalue the rarefied status of art, at the same time art’s openness is particularly well appointed to understanding other aesthetic domains. Scholarly attention to the so-called aesthetics of the everyday of which sport is an example, is a relatively recent paradigm shift that attempts to give philosophical weight to common, ordinary experiences as aesthetic. Art as the paradigm case of aesthetic experience is therefore useful in illuminating such experiences, one of which is sport. The results of this study are: Like art, sport idealises in its desire for perfection. Like art, sport is a second-order mimetic activity that is autonomous and reflects extra-aesthetic concerns. The implications of the postmodern language turn for art, namely detotalising and/or meaninglessness can be applied to sport. Drawing from Wittgenstein, art and sport are culturally embedded within institutional frameworks and quite simply are learnt ways of thinking and doing. Expressive theories of art were introduced which, it was found, has resonance with sport, as it can be similarly described as an expression of “aesthetic ideas”, to use Kant’s phrase. The artistic formalist perspective and the realization of form led to describing sport as aesthetically beautiful in many ways. One might apply Zangwell’s moderate aesthetic formalism to sport where formal qualities, representation and content co-exist, thus somewhat combining the above conclusions. An analysis of this kind suggests that sport may derive its meaning from an artistic perspective, at least in theory. At the same time, though not the primary focus of this thesis, one might describe the relationship between art and sport as an oscillation, if at times a dialectic, in which case boundaries between them inevitably become more complex. It is conceivable that within that complexity/struggle/play there can be self- realization and world-bettering. It is also conceivable that this is a result of the emergence of a new sub-discipline, namely sports art.