Sports and AestheticsKenneth Goh.docx

1、Sports and Aesthetics Kenneth GohSports and AestheticsName: Goh Jun Yi, KennethNRIC: S9028236JCentre/Index: 3014 / 0104School Name: National Junior CollegeSubject Name: Knowledge & InquirySubject Code: 97591. IntroductionBe it scoring a curling free kick in soccer or viewing a diver perform a revers

2、e dive in the pike position, it is interesting to note that many responses would be on the beauty and aesthetic quality of the performance. Unbeknownst to most of us, aesthetics have always been a part of sport and the aesthetic experience generated is part of the overall pleasures derived from spor

3、t. This paper has four main aims. I will understand what aesthetic knowledge in sports consists of, look into the construction and nature of the aesthetic knowledge of sports and conclude by discussing the implications brought about by the nature and construction of aesthetic knowledge in sports. 2.

4、 Aesthetic knowledge in sports2.1 The Theory of Functionalism AppliedFunctionalism describes that the aesthetic forms of an artwork are the array of choices intended to realize the point or purpose of the artwork. Hence, the purpose of the artwork is correlative to these aesthetic forms. It is appro

5、priate to look at the aesthetic aspects of sport using functionalism because sports lack aesthetic content and the primary aesthetic portions of sport are the aesthetic forms that they possess. This will be developed further under section 4.1. Also, functionalism is essential in the evaluation of th

6、e aesthetic experience in sport as it enables us to look at the aesthetic forms and allows us to objectively understand why these forms provide an aesthetic experience. Thus, in this essay, the aesthetic knowledge in sport consists of both the knowledge of the aesthetic forms and the knowledge of ev

7、aluating the aesthetic experience derived from sport through these aesthetic forms. Before we look at the construction and nature of aesthetic knowledge in sports, it is crucial to first understand what aesthetics in sport appear as, so as to understand the knowledge of it. There are two general typ

8、es of sport the aesthetic and the purposive. This classification is important as the differences in purposes of each type of sport results in slightly different aesthetic forms being associated with each group. Aesthetic sports include ice-skating and gymnastics where successful performance depends

9、partly upon the aesthetic manner in which the sport-specific goals are pursued. On the other hand, in purposive sports, the objective is to win within the given ethos and the aesthetic manner in which it is done has no significance on the end. They include ball games such as hockey and basketball.2.

10、2 Aesthetic and Purposive SportsFor aesthetic sports, because the sports are judged significantly on the aesthetics of the performance, the athletes intend the aesthetic forms present in the sport. These forms serve the functions of portraying grace and exhibiting the skill and execution of the athl

11、ete. Some of these forms include symmetry, balance, timing, flow and supreme control of the athletes body. On the other hand, in purposive sports, it may be said that the beauty or aesthetic forms derived from sport are by-products of the sport and are unintentional forms. In purposive sports, the f

12、unction of these forms are intended to serve the purposes of attaining the goals or ends of the sport - to score a goal or point or to achieve other non-aesthetic ends. This is thus why the aesthetic part of sport is a by-product and not the central purpose of purposive sports. However, this does no

13、t mean that these forms are not aesthetic forms because the aesthetic part of the form coexists together with the practical part of the form and neither can exist independently from the other. To illustrate this point, a strikers shot in soccer is examined. The movement of the soccer ball following

14、the strikers shot functions to move the ball in such a way that avoids all opponents and travels at a high speed to enter the goal. While performing this function, the motion and speed of the ball are imbued with aesthetic qualities, transforming them into aesthetic forms that appeal to the senses o

15、f the spectator and athlete. From this example, it is clear that while the practical and aesthetic properties of the forms of movement and speed of the ball are distinguishable, they are inseparable. Hence, aesthetic forms can be derived from purposive sports as well. Just like aesthetic sports, the

16、re exist numerous aesthetic forms in purposive sports. The added dimension of practicality of the forms in order to achieve different goals in purposive sports results in slightly different forms associated with them. Some of the key aesthetic forms include symmetry of the play, tempo of the game, f

17、low and movement of the ball and players, precise timing for interception or for breaking the defense, and execution of actions.2.3 Ideal CriticThe above descriptions of the aesthetic forms present in sports allow us to better understand what aesthetics in sports appear as. The aesthetic forms deriv

18、ed from each sport then combine and supplement each other to provide an aesthetic experience for the spectator or athlete. After understanding the knowledge of the aesthetic forms, it is then important to look into the knowledge of evaluation of aesthetics in sport. Goldman proposes the concept of i

19、deal critics as the methodology in evaluating aesthetics. The characteristics of ideal critics include being unbiased, knowledgeable about the sport, being under favourable conditions such as not feeling fatigued, and having sensitivity to aesthetic values. Evaluations of the sporting activity by re

20、al critics are justified to the degree that they approximate those of the ideal critic. Hence, the reliability of ones aesthetic judgment using the aesthetic forms depends on the similarity to those of the ideal critic. These understandings set the stage nicely for us to look into the construction p

21、rocess of aesthetic knowledge. 3. The Construction of Aesthetic Knowledge in SportsIt is important to note that the aesthetic experience derived from the sport would depend on both the type of sport in context and whether the person is an involved athlete or spectator. This is because, firstly, aest

22、hetic and purposive sports have slightly different aesthetic forms associated with them as stated in section 2.2, and secondly, the construction processes of the athlete and spectator are different and this will be developed further below.3.1 SpectatorThe spectator first uses emotion, intuition and

23、sensory perception to process the aesthetic experience of the sporting activity. The spectator uses his sensory perception viewing the sport to take in the aesthetic experience, which consists of the combination of the aesthetic forms. Intuition is used, as the judgment of the aesthetic experience i

24、s instinctive and involves the first impression of the aesthetic forms. Emotion is involved as the feelings of happiness and exhilaration often comes hand in hand with an appreciation of aesthetic experience. The spectator then uses introspection and logic during contemplation to reason out the aest

25、hetic experience derived from the myriad of aesthetic forms. This is done through identifying the aesthetic forms present and the aesthetic relations between the aesthetic forms that contribute to the overall aesthetic experience. An example of such relations among aesthetic forms are found in F1 ra

26、cing, where the aesthetic form of high speed supplements the aesthetic form of grace, as this leads to a higher level of control of the F1 car by the driver.At the same time, the spectator ought to seek to approximate the characteristics of the ideal critic such as being unbiased and feeling fresh s

27、o as to maximize the reliability of the evaluation. To do so, the spectator will, for example, attempt to ensure that he is alert during evaluation. He will also attempt to separate the previous experiences involving the athletes with the current context to avoid bias in evaluation. This would be th

28、e construction process of aesthetic knowledge in sports by the spectator.3.2 AthleteThis is in contrast to the athletes construction process. It is undesirable for any athlete to be in contemplation of the aesthetic experience derived from his activity as that would mean that the athlete is not in t

29、he optimal state of intense focus, hence being reduced to a spectator in the game. This is because any contemplation of the aesthetic experience during the course of the fast paced performance will prevent the athlete from fully focusing on the techniques required to produce the best possible perfor

30、mance. For example, contemplation by a gymnast on her aesthetic experience during sporting activity will distract her from focusing on technical aspects, such as perfecting her form and ensuring smooth flow of the swings on the uneven bars, that are crucial for her to perform well. However, this doe

31、s not mean that the athlete cannot have aesthetic experience while performing an activity. The athletes experience is logically inseparable from the stroke he is executing, in the sense that the experience is uniquely identifiable by his action in that context. Hence, the aesthetic experience that t

32、he athlete has is a phenomenon that occurs concurrently and does not necessarily depend upon contemplation by the athlete. In the case of baseball, the aesthetic experience of the batter is internally related to the swing that he is playing. The athlete may also contemplate upon his performance or a

33、ctivity after it has ended and will use the same construction process as the spectator to comprehend and aesthetically evaluate his performance if he wishes to do so. On the other hand, what this also means is that the differences in construction of aesthetic knowledge of the athlete only hold when the athlete is pro