Tělesná Kultura (Jun 2017)
Cultural-civilizational peripety in the development of sports
Abstract
Background: By studying various sources, we can assume that the history of mankind, the history of civilizations and historical existence of sport are not historically overlapped. The origins of civilization and the beginnings of sports in human existence are far from each other. History of sport is part of the higher stages of civilization development of humankind. Objectives: The object and purpose of our qualitative research and comparative thinking is the search of context of sport especially in the context of civilization (civilized) and cultural stage of mankind. Methods: The essence of the methodology of this article is a qualitative research. It is applied analysis of the texts and documents, which discloses the essence of civilization and label exploratory trial, which defines sport as part of civilizations. Results: The emergence of civilizations and the emergence of sport are relatively two independent historical processes. The existence of sport is historically linked to the higher stages of civilization development of humankind. A typical characteristic of sport as deduced from the theory of civilization speaks of sport as a cultural and social phenomenon. This argument implies in particular the thesis that sport is a civilization phenomenon in two aspects: (1) Sports, or rather some of its discipline, originated on the base of particular civilization in its historical period as some prehistoric form of this discipline. It carries many essential symbols of this particular civilization. (2) Sports disciplines which etiquette and ethos are based on the values of fair play, decency, justice, equality, friendship, peacefulness and assertiveness refuse "barbarism" and ribaldry, despite the fact that they fully accept aggressiveness of sport. Sport is primarily a cultural coordinated movement. We explain manifestations of "savagery and barbarism" which are shadowy fads of certain sports disciplines as precivilization atavism coming from the depths of human evolution. Conclusions: We understand current sport as a cultural phenomenon in two dimensions. The first dimension is sport from 19th to 21st century, as an integral part of universal human culture, as a general cultural artefact. In connection with the civilization, there are all compatible features of today existing civilizations showed in sport. The second dimension of viewing the sport shifts to the forefront its aesthetic aspects, its imagery and ability to experience as domains of fine arts and sports aesthetics. The problem of current relationship between civilizations and sport also includes the sports aspect of migration. Migrating athletes bring to the new homeland (and often to another civilization) excellent sport values and they are largely pragmatically assimilated into the culture of a new home and are seeking a new form of identity. In a historically short period of time when this phenomenon appeared in the sports scene, it cannot be exactly confirmed that the identity of migrating athletes who left their own civilization or original national culture, is actually changing. The problem of sports migration has to be seen in terms of coexistence of civilizations along the lines of tolerance and multiculturalism today. However, on the basis of previo
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