“Sport creates value” Sport activities as part of a meaningful life?

Abstract

Sport has often been viewed as a valuable part of our individual and collective lives because of its potential to bring physical and mental health benefits and to help build communities. In addition to providing a site for stress release and having a good time, sport can also be a context where people explore existential questions and what it means to live a ‘meaningful’ and ‘good’ life. In this presentation, I will discuss how people in contemporary societies engage with their life-construction and how involvement in sport and physical activity might contribute, for some, in answering deeper questions concerning how to live well. I draw on empirical studies and philosophical work to explore how different forms of sport provide opportunities for experiencing meaningfulness, and whether new forms of physical cultures reflect changing meanings by which people live their lives. Finally, I will question whether sport can bring ‘too much’ meaning to some people’s lives and whether we can be mistaken about the meaningfulness of our sporting activities.