Freeride skiing is the fastest-growing sector of the skiing industry, but there are no studies analyzing its nature and values. First, we provide descriptions of freeride skiing and competitive freeride skiing, trying to analyzing the nature of these activities in comparison and contrast with conceptions of traditional sport and nature sport. Whilst freeride skiing must be seen in some sense as a nature sport, competitive freeride skiing is best seen within the category of traditional sport. However, these ‘new’ sports raise (...) questions about the adequacy of our current categories, leading us to our second task, which was to identify and discuss the values of freeride skiing. We identify freedom and creativity as primary values, which lead to a greater rapport with nature, and a greater attention to risk, danger and safety, as concomitant values. Finally, we briefly indicate further values of the activity, such as responsibility, community and preservation of the practice. (shrink)

Research into esports is proliferating (Bányai et al. 2019; Pizzo et al. 2022; Reitman et al. 2020) and now covers a variety of academic disciplines, including business and management (Scholz 2019)...

The term ‘nature sports’ can be understood in different ways, depending on how the words ‘sport’ and ‘nature’ are explained. Since ‘nature’ is usually understood as ‘ungroomed’, ‘nature sports’ may be interpreted either as non-competitive practices in ungroomed nature (as discussed by Krein), with examples such as backcountry skiing, climbing or surfing; or as competitive sports in ungroomed nature. This paper argues that those ultra sports that take place in ungroomed nature, such as ultra swimming and ultra running, are better (...) candidates for being called ‘nature sports’ than those non-competitive ones suggested by Krein; and that this is also more in line with the contemporary common use of the term ‘sport’. This paper discusses these ‘ultra/nature’ sports, mainly from the point of view of their relationship to nature, the values that they offer to athletes, and their specific temporality. (shrink)

The discourse surrounding the spirit of sports, especially under the purview of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), often centers on the philosophical implications of doping and fair play. This research aims to reframe the discussion by employing the lens of historical materialism and Marxist theory, considering sports not merely as isolated physical endeavors but deeply interwoven with societal and ideological transformations. This approach traces the evolution of sports from ancient times, where it served religious and communal functions, to its current (...) status as a component of global capitalist culture. By analyzing the spirit of sports through the theoretical frameworks of Althusser and Žižek, this study explores how sports act as ideological state apparatuses (AIEs), shaping and being shaped by the prevailing economic and social structures. The core argument posits that the spirit of sports is both a reflection of and a contributor to the ideological superstructures that define different historical epochs. The analysis highlights the transition from viewing sports as communal and ritualistic engagements to mechanisms of capitalist ideology, emphasizing competition and profit. Through this historical and ideological critique, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the spirit of sports, challenging traditional perspectives that isolate sports from their socio-economic and ideological contexts. The findings suggest that any discussion about the spirit of sports, particularly in anti-doping debates, must consider the broader ideological forces at play, thereby opening pathways for a more nuanced understanding of sports ethics. (shrink)

Sport as the pursuit of competition and the achievement of ever greater records goes beyond the dimension of mere physical activity and has many similarities not only with play, drama and art, but also with religion. Symbolic representations of sporting activity are then interpreted in religious terms, e.g. that sport has the power to create a new kind of religion, that sporting and religious experiences are identical, that a specific sporting sacred can be defined. The paper accepts the position that (...) similar phenomenal resemblances (phenomenalism) are not sufficient proof of the essential correspondence of these modes of being (phenomenology), since they touch in different ways on the relation between transcendence and immanence. Sport may point to something beyond empirical reality, but it cannot be a presentation of the sacred. It can become a representation, a depiction, not a making present of it. Thus it is possible to adequately conceptualize the world of sport as an implicit, not explicit, religion. (shrink)