Sport and the political economy: Considerations for enhancing the human condition

Abstract

Sport needs a balanced and inter-disciplinary approach between sport’s educative, social and scientific value and the political economy. This paper argues that the possible meanings of sport for the individual and contemporary society, at whatever level, needs to be conceptualised predominately from a human development perspective. This is sports major purpose - enhancing the human condition, if healthy active living is a desired outcome. Inherent in this purpose is the imperative for the State to manage the constraints of scientific functionalism of commercialisation, the commodification of sport and the objectification of the athlete. Contemporary sport is confronted by potentially deviant and destructive forces when scientism dominates sport discourse. The emphasis on winning, the reduction of sport to physical performance and the quest for extrinsic rewards for the athlete and the political economy shakes and fractures the foundations of sport being a “valued human practice”. The State needs to manage this, embrace and articulate a more educative and socio-cultural function of sport that integrates a holism based on enhancing the human condition. The philosophy of neo Olympism provides a possible systematic way forward. This presentation will provide a contemporary and conceptual framework upon which sport, at all levels can build upon the philosophy of Olympism. It will do this by: • critically examining dominant thinking around sport and the State’s role; • arguing for the educative, social, scientific and moral base of sport to be inculcated into school physical education and sports based programmes • highlighting the need for Olympism to be more broadly promoted as a way of life to active healthy living through balanced development of the person, celebrating the joy in effort; promoting the educative value of role modelling and the observance of an integrated set of universal ethics