Every
area of philosophical inquiry leads to questions, by enrolling in a class
titled Philosophy of Sport the first
most obvious and possibly most profound question has to be “what is sport?”
This question is metaphysical in nature which often leads to difficulty in providing
a concise definition.[1] Sport
has often been described as a form of play; such a description is debatable as
some believe that definition trivializes the basis of sport. Huizinga posited
the definition of play as “a voluntary activity or occupation executed within
certain fixed limits of time and place, according to rules freely accepted but absolutely
binding; having its aim in itself and accompanied by a feeling of tension, joy,
and the consciousness that is different from ordinary life.[2]”
Even if this were a widely accepted definition of play it still leaves the term
sport as subcategory of play being the broader umbrella term.
Another
term closely associated with sport is game. Bernard Suit pointed out what he
felt was the four elements that comprise a game: 1.) A goal 2.) A means of achieving
said goal 3.) Rules 4.) Lusory attitude[3]. Both
of these definitions are filled with difficulty and a general lack of consensus,
though the intuitive link between play, sport, and game is widely acknowledged.
One major reason these definitions are insufficient is because they are derived
inductively. Meaning there is an assumption whether conscious or not, that the
words themselves do not have an inherent meaning. On the contrary, these terms
can be traced back to various ancient languages and cultures. Through the study
of etymology we can build a deductive framework to understand these terms.
By
applying etymology, the terms play, game, and sport take on a vastly different
connotation than the general 21st century perception. The term game
comes from the name for the Greek Goddess of the Earth, Gaia. In these ancient
Roman societies they would hold these events or games to pay homage to the
fertility of the Earth Goddess.
Furthermore, terms like guy, and gay come from this root word Gaia;
these terms associate with the notion of these games because it was widely held
that only men would compete in the games which explains the reason guy and gay
are so closely related, the reason ancient Greek societies are associated with
homosexuality and why women generally do not partake of these games, because
they are actually fertility rituals providing an offering to the Earth Goddess
and women’s fertility in general.
The
etymology to the word sport is even more interesting; the word Sport is a
combination of multiple different root words, first and foremost it derives
from a different name for the Greek Earth Goddess, Gaia Spore[4].
This word is a reference to the reproductive structure of a spore again
symbolizing fertility, in this case the virgin birth of Uranus; furthermore the
word sport also symbolizes the union of the letter S which stands for serpent which is considered a male fertility
symbol; and port, like where boats dock. Boats are always referred to as
females thus we have female ships which rest in ports (female) tied to the pole
(male) which again symbolizes the union of the male and female; which explains
why after the Roman (row-men) traveled across the sea (sea men) they found a
port (female) to disembark their(sea)men; but the female ship must have its (male)
pole to tie down to, and after the boat has been tied down to the pole and the
sea men have disembarked their vessel they then call the place that is holding
the boat a berth. Invariably, the etymology of these words comes back to ancient
ritualized sex magic, of which the purpose is to make an offering similar to
the way that people would offer their finest foods or objects as an offering to
the Gods; these games and sports were a means of offering the biggest strongest
and most skilled man’s abilities to the Earth Goddess as if it were a fine art.
Therefore my inductive (therefore fundamentally flawed) definition of sport is
a competitive art form which challenges demographically similar participants in
various areas of talent and skill within certain pre-agreed upon guidelines.
Evidence
of sports being closely related to sex rituals is pretty much ubiquitous from
ancient sports to even more modern day sports and sports organizations. Let’s
begin first and foremost with the oldest organized sport of all which would be
wrestling. It is well known that wrestling used to be
practice by two naked men, and of course the original form of wrestling known
today as Greco-Roman wrestling is directly linked to the Greeks and thus to the
Olympic games. The Olympic game’s symbol is a direct reference to sex magic, symbolizing
the female hips and vagina. So we have two naked men rolling around together
trying to score on each other, as an offering to the goddess, Gaia.
Alright
so wrestling is an obvious example of this definition of sport but what about
more recently developed sports certainly we’ve broke away from the sex
symbolism, right? Let’s use basketball as the next example; basketball is a
relatively new sport getting its official start in 1891 by a man named Dr.
James Naismith. Clearly though, Dr. Naismith understood the origins of sport by
the way he designed his basketball court. Remember originally, there were no
three-point lines on a basketball court; clearly if you look at an aerial view
of a basketball court the sex magic symbolism is put right in your face, as the
court clearly depicts two phallic shapes fighting for a hole in the middle.
(See ex. 1) Also, how about the fact that it’s called a basketball court? Playing on a basketball court is a reference
to courtship like in a Romantic relationship or the dating game, which is why when you are courting
that person you need to play your cards right and be on top
of your game; so that you can
score, player!
Example 1:
Example 1:
 |
| Notice also that the clip board is from Anaconda Sports, again referencing the serpent as a symbol of male fertility. |
Of course, the object of basketball is to put
the ball in the hole; the word ball is associated with the ancient Canaanite
bull god Baal. Baal was slayed by the goddess Nike, which is why the
multi-national corporation named after the slayer of the bull god Nike uses a
slash or swoosh as their symbol. And obviously it is not hard to see the
corporation Nike’s connection to almost anything sports related because all of
these games are paying homage to these fertility goddesses, therefore Nike is
being fed both literally and metaphorically through the practice of these games
and the incorporation of this symbolism.
As
a final example of the use of sex magic symbolism and sports we turn to none
other than the National Football League. Throughout the sport itself there are
undeniable themes of sex magic however for the sake of concluding this paper
and opening a segue into the next paper about ethical issues in sport the focus
of this paragraph will center on actual rituals performed in association with
these sporting events. The most obvious ritual associated with the National
Football League is the Superbowl Half Time Show. Flashback to just this past
year and we have the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing one song “Give It Away” which is off their 1991 album titled “Blood
Sugar Sex Magik” which (big surprise) is about 18 year old girls coming of age
and giving away their virginity. Simultaneously, while the Red Hot Chili
Peppers were playing a song directly referencing sex magic, Bruno Mars is
engaging in a mock gay wedding. And for anyone even slightly familiar with
Superbowl Half Time Shows knows this kind of symbolism and sex magic is far
from out of the ordinary, Madonna’s half time show in 2013 was much the same
with her Baphomet helmet and Roman servants; and of course there will always be
the infamous Janet Jackson sex magic ritual from 2004, which is
self-explanatory.
Some
may consider this definition of sport extremely debasing to the meaning of
sport and athletic competition. But the importance of this definition and the
reason I posit it for consideration is to illustrate just how out of proportion
all of these sports have become, where they are massive industries and people
are made multi-millionaires through what at the end of the day is just a
ritual. In our culture people have been blinded by sport and begin to see their
whole life through a sports paradigm. This has massive implications for social
control and provides a cover for the more sinister aspects of the rituals to
which these sports are paying homage; which will be the topic of my next paper
considering ethical issues in sports. The
ethical issue I raise will then lead to my sports figure I have chosen to focus
on and will bring together all three of these projects together to paint one
giant picture of the nature of sport in modern society.
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