Basic Concepts of Sport Chapter 10 Basic Concepts of Sport

Sport – the Natural Religion Novak (1976) describes sport as a natural religion based on qualities and characteristics fundamental to the experience How is sport a religion? Rituals, i.e., coin toss Costumes Sense of power outside of one’s control People who enforce rules Teaches principles, i.e., courage

What is Leisure? Can be viewed as an attitude of freedom Often distinguished from work activities Viewed also as discretionary time left-over after work

What is Play? Sport is a manifestation of play Characteristics of play represent a continuum such as: Free Uncertain Governed by rules Separate Economically unproductive Governed by make-believe Play is not trivial, but rich with psychological, sociological, and historical meaning

Caillois: 6 characteristics of play Free (voluntary behavior) Separate (conducted in places where the time and space limits are fixed), e.g., let us go to the gym and play BB for half an hour Uncertain (evenly matched competition) Economically unproductive Governed by rules Governed by make believe

Differences Between Child’s Play vs. Adult Play Play is the most basic behavior in young children Children’s continuum includes: turbulence, gaiety, spontaneity, diversion Adults’ continuum includes: calculation, subordination to rules, contrivance and ritual One is not better than the other, however, as children grow and develop, their continuum goes toward the adult side

Games Physical skill Strategy Chance

Games vs. Sports There are no exact distinctions between the two terms Three important areas of the concept “game”: Games derive from play Games involve competition Game outcomes are based on skill, strategy or chance Not all games are sports but all sports are a game

Games vs. Sports, cont’d Sports are games involving skill and strategy Sport games have primary and secondary rules Sport games are classified into four categories: Territory or invasion games Target games Court games Sector games

Territory/Invasion Games Goal is to invade the space of the opponent to score. The use of goals or end zones are prevalent. Games can vary in skill: use of arms, legs, stick implements. Examples: football, ice hockey, soccer, rugby

Target Games Primary objective is to propel an object with great accuracy toward a target or targets. Examples: golf, bowling, horseshoes

Court Games Primary objective is strategically propel an object in such a way that it cannot be returned by an opponent. Examples: tennis, badminton, handball, squash

Sector Games Primary objective is for one opponent to strike an object so as to elude defenders. Examples: baseball, softball, cricket

Competition Concept Rituals and traditions are easily seen Strives to achieve an objective Involves a state of rivalry

Roles that Contribute to Sports as an Institution Codification of rules Officials or referees Organization and structure of sport teams, i.e., NCAA Record keeping to measure performance Dissemination of information to the public, i.e., newspaper

Aesthetics of Sports One tries to find the beauty in sports, form sports, and other sports Form sports: performers consciously work on achieving a physical form that is aesthetic Examples of qualities are: harmony, form, dynamics, flow, gracefulness, rhythm, poise

Aesthetics of Sports, cont’d Carlisle (1974) has suggested four types of beauty in other sports: Well-developed physique Well-designed play or execution of the maneuver Dramatic competition Unity of an entire performance

Ethics in Sports How people behave or conduct themselves in particular situations, i.e., games or sports Fair play: how a competitor behaves before, during and after competition 19th Century concept from England, i.e., Arnoldism Concept still permeates in our society today Rule violations are meant to be enforced by officials or referees Sports still can build character and teach important life lessons However, sport can be corrupt and has the ability to teach negative lesson in life