Sport as Part of a Good Life: Investigating the Debate

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the question ‘What is the role of sport in a good life?’ My goal is to identify the main positions in a philosophical debate on the role of sport in a good life. Based on my readings I divide these positions into three general categories: (1) negative: sport does not belong to the realm of a good life); (2) differentiated: sport contributes to living a good life, but it is not the main domain; and (3) affirmative: sport significantly contributes to living a good life. I want to highlight those aspects of sport to which these positions refer and some arguments that these positions offer. The originality of this research lies in clarifying the main approaches (i.e. describing their general content and structure) and making their arguments explicit. This article is of theoretical nature and uses tools that are standardly used when dealing with these types of research questions, with the most important ones being description, demonstration of relevant thoughts, comparison, evaluation, and interpretation.