Sports and AestheticsKenneth Goh.docx

Sports and AestheticsKenneth Goh.docx

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SportsandAestheticsKennethGoh

SportsandAesthetics

Name:

GohJunYi,Kenneth

NRIC:

S9028236J

Centre/Index:

3014/0104

SchoolName:

NationalJuniorCollege

SubjectName:

Knowledge&Inquiry

SubjectCode:

9759

1.Introduction

Beitscoringacurlingfreekickinsoccerorviewingadiverperformareversediveinthepikeposition,itisinterestingtonotethatmanyresponseswouldbeonthebeautyandaestheticqualityoftheperformance.Unbeknownsttomostofus,aestheticshavealwaysbeenapartofsportandtheaestheticexperiencegeneratedispartoftheoverallpleasuresderivedfromsport.

Thispaperhasfourmainaims.Iwillunderstandwhataestheticknowledgeinsportsconsistsof,lookintotheconstructionandnatureoftheaestheticknowledgeofsportsandconcludebydiscussingtheimplicationsbroughtaboutbythenatureandconstructionofaestheticknowledgeinsports.

2.Aestheticknowledgeinsports

2.1TheTheoryofFunctionalismApplied

Functionalismdescribesthattheaestheticformsofanartworkarethearrayofchoicesintendedtorealizethepointorpurposeoftheartwork.Hence,thepurposeoftheartworkiscorrelativetotheseaestheticforms.Itisappropriatetolookattheaestheticaspectsofsportusingfunctionalismbecausesportslackaestheticcontentandtheprimaryaestheticportionsofsportaretheaestheticformsthattheypossess.Thiswillbedevelopedfurtherundersection4.1.Also,functionalismisessentialintheevaluationoftheaestheticexperienceinsportasitenablesustolookattheaestheticformsandallowsustoobjectivelyunderstandwhytheseformsprovideanaestheticexperience.

Thus,inthisessay,theaestheticknowledgeinsportconsistsofboththeknowledgeoftheaestheticformsandtheknowledgeofevaluatingtheaestheticexperiencederivedfromsportthroughtheseaestheticforms.

Beforewelookattheconstructionandnatureofaestheticknowledgeinsports,itiscrucialtofirstunderstandwhataestheticsinsportappearas,soastounderstandtheknowledgeofit.Therearetwogeneraltypesofsport–theaestheticandthepurposive.Thisclassificationisimportantasthedifferencesinpurposesofeachtypeofsportresultsinslightlydifferentaestheticformsbeingassociatedwitheachgroup.Aestheticsportsincludeice-skatingandgymnasticswheresuccessfulperformancedependspartlyupontheaestheticmannerinwhichthesport-specificgoalsarepursued.Ontheotherhand,inpurposivesports,theobjectiveistowinwithinthegivenethosandtheaestheticmannerinwhichitisdonehasnosignificanceontheend.Theyincludeballgamessuchashockeyandbasketball.

2.2AestheticandPurposiveSports

Foraestheticsports,becausethesportsarejudgedsignificantlyontheaestheticsoftheperformance,theathletesintendtheaestheticformspresentinthesport.Theseformsservethefunctionsofportrayinggraceandexhibitingtheskillandexecutionoftheathlete.Someoftheseformsincludesymmetry,balance,timing,flowandsupremecontroloftheathlete’sbody.

Ontheotherhand,inpurposivesports,itmaybesaidthatthebeautyoraestheticformsderivedfromsportareby-productsofthesportandareunintentionalforms.Inpurposivesports,thefunctionoftheseformsareintendedtoservethepurposesofattainingthegoalsorendsofthesport-toscoreagoalorpointortoachieveothernon-aestheticends.Thisisthuswhytheaestheticpartofsportisaby-productandnotthecentralpurposeofpurposivesports.However,thisdoesnotmeanthattheseformsarenotaestheticformsbecausetheaestheticpartoftheformcoexiststogetherwiththepracticalpartoftheformandneithercanexistindependentlyfromtheother.Toillustratethispoint,astriker’sshotinsoccerisexamined.Themovementofthesoccerballfollowingthestriker’sshotfunctionstomovetheballinsuchawaythatavoidsallopponentsandtravelsatahighspeedtoenterthegoal.Whileperformingthisfunction,themotionandspeedoftheballareimbuedwithaestheticqualities,transformingthemintoaestheticformsthatappealtothesensesofthespectatorandathlete.Fromthisexample,itisclearthatwhilethepracticalandaestheticpropertiesoftheformsofmovementandspeedoftheballaredistinguishable,theyareinseparable.Hence,aestheticformscanbederivedfrompurposivesportsaswell.

Justlikeaestheticsports,thereexistnumerousaestheticformsinpurposivesports.Theaddeddimensionofpracticalityoftheformsinordertoachievedifferentgoalsinpurposivesportsresultsinslightlydifferentformsassociatedwiththem.Someofthekeyaestheticformsincludesymmetryoftheplay,tempoofthegame,flowandmovementoftheballandplayers,precisetimingforinterceptionorforbreakingthedefense,andexecutionofactions.

2.3IdealCritic

Theabovedescriptionsoftheaestheticformspresentinsportsallowustobetterunderstandwhataestheticsinsportsappearas.Theaestheticformsderivedfromeachsportthencombineandsupplementeachothertoprovideanaestheticexperienceforthespectatororathlete.Afterunderstandingtheknowledgeoftheaestheticforms,itisthenimportanttolookintotheknowledgeofevaluationofaestheticsinsport.

Goldmanproposestheconceptofidealcriticsasthemethodologyinevaluatingaesthetics.Thecharacteristicsofidealcriticsincludebeingunbiased,knowledgeableaboutthesport,beingunderfavourableconditionssuchasnotfeelingfatigued,andhavingsensitivitytoaestheticvalues.Evaluationsofthesportingactivitybyrealcriticsarejustifiedtothedegreethattheyapproximatethoseoftheidealcritic.Hence,thereliabilityofone’saestheticjudgmentusingtheaestheticformsdependsonthesimilaritytothoseoftheidealcritic.

Theseunderstandingssetthestagenicelyforustolookintotheconstructionprocessofaestheticknowledge.

3.TheConstructionofAestheticKnowledgeinSports

Itisimportanttonotethattheaestheticexperiencederivedfromthesportwoulddependonboththetypeofsportincontextandwhetherthepersonisaninvolvedathleteorspectator.Thisisbecause,firstly,aestheticandpurposivesportshaveslightlydifferentaestheticformsassociatedwiththemasstatedinsection2.2,andsecondly,theconstructionprocessesoftheathleteandspectatoraredifferentandthiswillbedevelopedfurtherbelow.

3.1Spectator

Thespectatorfirstusesemotion,intuitionandsensoryperceptiontoprocesstheaestheticexperienceofthesportingactivity.Thespectatoruseshissensoryperception–viewingthesport–totakeintheaestheticexperience,whichconsistsofthecombinationoftheaestheticforms.Intuitionisused,asthejudgmentoftheaestheticexperienceisinstinctiveandinvolvesthefirstimpressionoftheaestheticforms.Emotionisinvolvedasthefeelingsofhappinessandexhilarationoftencomeshandinhandwithanappreciationofaestheticexperience.Thespectatorthenusesintrospectionandlogicduringcontemplationtoreasonouttheaestheticexperiencederivedfromthemyriadofaestheticforms.Thisisdonethroughidentifyingtheaestheticformspresentandtheaestheticrelationsbetweentheaestheticformsthatcontributetotheoverallaestheticexperience.AnexampleofsuchrelationsamongaestheticformsarefoundinF1racing,wheretheaestheticformofhighspeedsupplementstheaestheticformofgrace,asthisleadstoahigherlevelofcontroloftheF1carbythedriver.

Atthesametime,thespectatoroughttoseektoapproximatethecharacteristicsoftheidealcriticsuchasbeingunbiasedandfeelingfreshsoastomaximizethereliabilityoftheevaluation.Todoso,thespectatorwill,forexample,attempttoensurethatheisalertduringevaluation.Hewillalsoattempttoseparatethepreviousexperiencesinvolvingtheathleteswiththecurrentcontexttoavoidbiasinevaluation.Thiswouldbetheconstructionprocessofaestheticknowledgeinsportsbythespectator.

3.2Athlete

Thisisincontrasttotheathlete’sconstructionprocess.Itisundesirableforanyathletetobeincontemplationoftheaestheticexperiencederivedfromhisactivityasthatwouldmeanthattheathleteisnotintheoptimalstateofintensefocus,hencebeingreducedtoaspectatorinthegame.Thisisbecauseanycontemplationoftheaestheticexperienceduringthecourseofthefastpacedperformancewillpreventtheathletefromfullyfocusingonthetechniquesrequiredtoproducethebestpossibleperformance.Forexample,contemplationbyagymnastonheraestheticexperienceduringsportingactivitywilldistractherfromfocusingontechnicalaspects,suchasperfectingherformandensuringsmoothflowoftheswingsontheunevenbars,thatarecrucialforhertoperformwell.

However,thisdoesnotmeanthattheathletecannothaveaestheticexperiencewhileperforminganactivity.Theathlete’sexperienceislogicallyinseparablefromthestrokeheisexecuting,inthesensethattheexperienceisuniquelyidentifiablebyhisactioninthatcontext.Hence,theaestheticexperiencethattheathletehasisaphenomenonthatoccursconcurrentlyanddoesnotnecessarilydependuponcontemplationbytheathlete.Inthecaseofbaseball,theaestheticexperienceofthebatterisinternallyrelatedtotheswingthatheisplaying.Theathletemayalsocontemplateuponhisperformanceoractivityafterithasendedandwillusethesameconstructionprocessasthespectatortocomprehendandaestheticallyevaluatehisperformanceifhewishestodoso.

Ontheotherhand,whatthisalsomeansisthatthedifferencesinconstructionofaestheticknowledgeoftheathleteonlyholdwhentheathleteispro