Philosophy of Sports
Introduction
Human involvement in sports dates back in pre-historic ages, however, in cooperation of sport into an academic discipline is a relatively new concept introduced in the 1970s. Yet within this short time, it has shown full potential as a vibrant field in philosophical research that is aimed to both advance and deepen sports (Loy, Jr. 2). Early sports philosophy was branched into analytics and applied philosophy; analytics seeks to establish a common ground between all the sports and what are the conditions for an activity to be regarded as being a sport. On the other had applied philosophy takes a more practical approach in identifying the essence of a sports activity to critique the game and its related issues such as doping, and great sportsmanship. Citing relevant sources, a self-reflective review on the role of knowledge in the appreciation and practice of sports is discussed in detail below.
Knowledge is a quintessential aspect of any sporting activity, how is one aware his involvement in sport, it is by “knowing the game” (Steel 96), it is only by comprehending past events that we can form the expectations of the future, and in the long run we have acquired knowledge of the game. Without knowing the rules of the game then it meaningless; this type of learning is aimed in providing order to the game, consider a game of tennis it involves the players to serve and to volley it is the role of the player to know when and where to perform these tasks and when it is forbidden to do so. However, this type of knowledge is acquired explicitly through repetition and memorization of the rules. Internalization of these rules and manipulation for an advantage is what gives birth to skill.
Considering the rules and tactics of any game acquired, a player develops strategy knowledge in playing the game, these strategies can either be obtained from the coach or watching other players play, however, an elite player develops his tactics (Steel 97). This is the synthesis of knowledge that defines the skill of a player, and sometimes it is what differentiates the value of players. A player can acquire knowledge that can counter the effects of the body movement of his opponent “attending away from something towards something else” (Steel 102) through tactical. Time series were learning of an individual player or the team; therefore, during playing, he can know tactically the strokes the individual is capable of making and their fore he ends up countering the individual in their own mind game. However, this is not always successful as the idealistic condition does not always come, and the opponent tends to change with time.
Good knowledge of the physical prowess is applicable in classification, an activity as being a sport or being a game. According to (Loy Jr. 5), there is a difference between games and sport, the former being of less physical prowess than the sports. The audience involved also plays a key role in classification an activity between friends; let’s say a dart game of golf is considered as being a game while an activity that involves an organization regarded as sports. Treating sports as an organization means the incorporation of managerial skills to manage the talents of the various players, coaching tactics and norm this requires great knowledge on fields of financial management, physiotherapy, and sports psychology, these concepts are offered in institutions of higher learning.
In the formulation of the rules of a sport/game or even their implementation requires a well thought out workflow that has been involved in a history of analysis to prove it right this is referred to as “institutionalization” (Loy, Jr 6) of sports activities this is to perceive sport as an institution and also has its hierarchy of involvement and management. In a concrete sporting event, the particular sporting event should be reflected in the institutional characteristics of the activity. This institutional perception varies depending on the level of the game; for example, the standardized nature of the English Premier League is not the same as the institution of a sandpit baseball game.
The game of golf is one of the games to apply cognitive psychology; the use of diverse clubs and balls enables the player to reason critically before choosing a club with the appropriate curvature to enable him to succeed in hitting the ball correctly. The notion that there are countless ways to play the game (more than one way to skin a cat) invokes creativity to the player to use past knowledge events to solve the present conditions (Holt, Jason, and Laurence E. Holt. 213). For professional golf players, critical thinking is an essential part of training their minds for obstacles that are yet to encounter; they have to undergo vigorous mental and physical preparation for the game.
Conclusion
While the past decades’ classical analysis of knowledge in sport was centered between the central preoccupations, recent analysis is aimed at the appreciation of the aesthetics of sports. Unlike forced entertainment, sports can never participate without full interest and commitment, and that is what if the power of sports. Indeed knowledge is power.
Works Cited
Holt, Jason, and Laurence E. Holt. “The “Ideal” Swing, The “Ideal” Broov: Myths Of Optimization.” Golf And Philosophy, 2010, pp. 209-216., Accessed 13 June 2020.
John W., Loy, Jr. “The Nature Of Sport: A Definitional Effort.” Quest IO, 1968, pp. 1-5., Accessed 13 June 2020.
Steel, Margaret. “What We Know When We Know The Game.” Journal Of The Philosophy, 1997, pp.96-103., Accessed 13 June 2020.