1. Basic Concepts of Sport
Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport
Daryl Siedentop
Chapter 4
Basic Concepts of Sport

2. Introductory points
Sport has been part of most civilized
societies
It has been the focus of (intense) study
since the mid 20th Century, especially
with the emergence of a national and
world sport culture
Sport is a form of play impulse in all humans

3. What numbers/data would support this claim?
Introductory points (cont’d.)
Your sport experiences likely contributed
to you choosing a career in fitness, sport
and/or Physical Education
“Sport is important . . .”
What numbers/data would support this claim?

4. Sport: The Natural Religion
Novak (1976): “Sport is a natural religion”
What makes it that way?

5. Sport: The Natural Religion (cont’d.)
Sport has
Rituals
Costumes
Powers beyond one’s control
Figures who enforce rules
Opportunity to teach sacrifice, courage and perseverance
Heroes and heroines that we can strive to emulate
Can you point to examples of these in sport?

6. Sport: The Natural Religion (cont’d.)
Thus, sport has a religious nature.
. . . it can have deep personal meaning
for people
. . . it can afford us the chance to find out
who we are, and what we are capable of
(Metheny, 1970)
. . . It is a force that can teach us about
ourselves and our society (Sheed, 1995)

7. Leisure, Play, Games, and Sport
What are its underlying motivations . . .?
What shapes does it take . . .?
How has it developed over time . . .?
How is it related to concepts like leisure, play,
games, and competition . . .?

8. Leisure . . .
It is often viewed opposite of work
Work vs. Leisure:
Our attitude toward both
The type of activities we engage in
The time for both

9. Leisure (cont’d.)
An attitude of freedom or release from
demands of daily life
Compared to work, it is freely chosen, not
obligatory
For some, an activity is viewed as leisure,
for others, the same activity is pure work
Leisure is thought to be related to Play. . .

10. Play . . .
Sport as a form of play
Child’s play and adult play

11. Play (cont’d.)
Sport as a form of play
It is an institutionalized form of play
Play is a basic motivation in human activity
( Huizinga, 1962).
While play is different from work, it can absorb us as much as work

12. Callois’ definition of Play (based on Huizinga):
Play (cont’d.)
Callois’ definition of Play (based on Huizinga):
It is free . . .voluntary
Separate Occurs in specific places and times
Uncertain If competition is even, the result
is not known a priori, it increases playfulness

13. Callois’ definition of Play (based on Huizinga):
Play (cont’d.)
Callois’ definition of Play (based on Huizinga):
Economically unproductive . . .
The more wealth it produces, the less playful
Governed by rules or make believe . . .
Though quite arbitrary, rules define the activity, help
maintain fairness, and determine the outcome
Or governed by make believe . . .
If there are no rules. Often, children will pretend
to be Dwayne Wade or Venus Williams

14. Thus, sport can be a form of play
Play (cont’d.)
Thus, sport can be a form of play
While sport need not be playful, it must
maintain elements of play it is to thrive
Remember to think of play as a verb . . .
(e.g., I play golf)
Play is a fundamental feature of human
behavior & can afford highly meaningful
experiences

15. Child’s Play & Adult Play . . .
How do adults play differently from
children?
Children’s Play Adult Play
Turbulence
Gaiety
Spontaneity
Diversion
Calculation
Subordination
Contrivance
Ritual
Practice & Training
Skill & Strategy

16. Child’s Play & Adult Play . . . (cont’d.)
As players and their form of play
mature, new challenges must be added
Examples:
Course difficulty in golf
The shot-clock in basketball
Field size in baseball (e.g., little league vs. HS)
When sport loses its playfulness, the
meaning is lessened for it participants

17. “Game” and “sport” are similar and related, but not the same . . .
Games . . .
“Game” and “sport” are similar and
related, but not the same . . .
“Cooperative” (or non-competitive) game,
is a contradiction in terms
Not all games are sport, . . .
but sport is always a game
Games: derive from play, involve competition, have outcomes determined by skill, strategy, and/or chance

18. Games . . . Skill, Strategy, and Chance
Game outcomes determined mostly by
chance are not really sport (Examples?)
Sport outcomes at times may be influenced by chance (Examples?)
Games with strong strategic roles, but no
physical skills are also not sport, but games
. . . (Examples?).

19. Primary Rules: Those rules that define
Games And their Rules
Primary Rules: Those rules that define
the game Changes would alter the
fundamental nature of the game
Secondary rules: Define the
institutionalized forms of the game, but
preserve the fundamental nature of the
game
Can you think of examples for both type of rules?
What makes baseball baseball, and not hockey?

20. Categorizing Sport Games
Using similarities in “primary rules” as a
criterion, one can classify games as:
Territory (or Invasion) games
Target games
Court/Net games
Sector (or Striking & fielding) games
Some sports do not fit in this classification
. . . What would be some examples?

21. Categorizing Sport Games (cont’d.)
New games evolve (e.g., frisbee is
gradually becoming a sport- Ultimate)
Extreme Sports reflect a desire to resist
the values typically espoused in “traditional”
sport
. . . Yet Extreme Sports are also gradually
becoming more institutionalized

22. Competition in Sport and Games
Two views of Competition:
Zero-sum Competition
A positive view to Competition:
To come together – a festivity
To seek competence
(a strong motivation to continue participation).
To be in a state of rivalry
Sport virtually has no zero-sum competition

23. The Institutionalization of Sport
See box 4.1 for how Extreme Sport gradually is
being institutionalized
New games start locally, and with growth in
interest, it will gradually become more
institutionalized
Institutionalized sport spawns numerous
supporting professionals (i.e., “without
them there is no game at that level”)
What are some examples of such support roles?

24. Codification of Rules & Referees
How a game is played is governed mostly by the
established rules as well as its traditions that
develop over time
A sport with codified rules requires referees
. . . to ensure fairness during competition
The more institutionalized the sport, the
greater the need for training of officials
and performance oversight *NFL example

25. The Genesis of Sport Organizations
Sport organizations and conferences develop
to aid the process of determining season champions.
Organizations design & oversee competition
schedule, arrange facilities, recruit officials, etc.
The more institutionalized the sport, the
greater the need for full-time personnel in such
organizations Hence the emergence of
which professions?
Sport Management, Promotion, & Admin.

26. The Importance of Records
define performance, excellence,
become the standard
show what humans are capable of
define its heroes and heroines
What record-setting performances
have you witnessed? Which stand out most
for you?

27. Institutionalized Sport
The Public Nature of
Institutionalized Sport
The more popular a sport, the more
attention is paid Hence, the emergence
& growth of professions such as sport
journalism and broadcasting
Consider the explosive growth in sport
literature and sport-related movies
Sport is central to our culture and life

28. Sport Spectating
Is watching a lot of sport a bad thing?
How can watching sport be an educational
experience? (i.e., Helping the spectator become more informed)
A spectator is also (oftentimes!) a fan who
is deeply rooted to a particular team(s)
A sense of belonging . . .

29. “Sport is people’s Art”
Sport Aesthetics
“Sport is people’s Art”
Is turning a double play in baseball any
less artful than a Pas de Deux in Ballet?
(Frank Deford, 2008)
Sport has a long historic link with art
Is sport as a “performance art” any different
from drama, dance and music?

30. Sport Aesthetics (cont’d.)
Aesthetics in Form Sports
What would be examples of “form sports?”
Performances are judged
What to judge in the performance?
. . . Form, grace, flow, rhythm, poise,
harmony, level of difficulty, etc.

31. Sport Aesthetics (cont’d.)
Aesthetics in other sports
So can there be artistry in the other sports?
Wherein lies the artistic beauty in soccer
or golf?
a well-developed body in motion
a well executed play of maneuver
a dramatic competition
the unity of the entire performance
(from Carlisle, 1974)

32. Sport Ethics
Ethics How people ought to behave
In Sport we refer to sporting behavior or
fair play
Many assume that sport inherently results
in ethical behavior of players, coaches
and others
Fair play stands squarely opposite to the
“win at all cost” behavior

33. Rules and the Nature of Games (cont’d.)
Sport Ethics:
Rules and the Nature of Games (cont’d.)
Referees/officials oversee that intentional
rule violations are minimized to ensure
fair and balance competition
Cheating in sport is on the rise . . .
Examples?
Within a game or contest?
Outside the game itself?

34. The Developmental Potential of Sport
Potential developmental benefits leads
parents to guide children to sport
Clubs and out-of-school community
organizations are venues for this . . .
Generally, inclusive
Well run programs have positive impacts
(Policy Studies Associates, 2006)
The people in such programs are key . . .

35. Discussion Questions How do important local sport events,
such as a high school football game,
show the characteristics of sport as a
natural religion?

36. Discussion Questions
Can scholarship and professional athletes still be engaged in play when they are playing in sport?
Explain your answer.

37. Discussion Questions To what extent does the game-
classification system depend on
similarities and differences in
primary rules?

38. Discussion Questions
How do views of competition among the general public differ from views among athletes themselves?

39. Discussion Questions
What kind of rules and practices should be adopted in school sports to ensure that competition is as good as it can be?

40. Discussion Questions
What kind of sport events pr performances have you found to be aesthetically pleasing?
What about them has caused you to react this way?

41. Discussion Questions
What personal experiences have you had that highlight controversial issues in sport ethics?
How did you
and other people
involved react?

42. Discussion Questions
Are extreme sports a passing fancy or are they here to stay?
Explain your reason for
your position.

43. Discussion Questions
9. How would you define cheating in the sports that you play?