Body, skill, and look
is bodybuilding a sport?
pp. 401-410
Abstract
I argue that bodybuilding should not qualify as a sport, given that at the competition stage it lacks an essential feature of sports, namely, skillful activity. Based on the classic distinction between Leib (the lived body) and Körper (the objective body) in phenomenology, I argue that bodybuilding competition's sole purpose is to present the Körper, whereas sports are about manifestations of Leib. I consider several objections to this analysis, after which I conclude that bodybuilding is an endeavor closer to both beauty competitions and classical sculpture rather than to any other known sports.
Publication details
Published in:
Crone Katja, Huemer Wolfgang (2018) Investigating the Social Self. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences Special Issue 17 (2).
Pages: 401-410
DOI: 10.1007/s11097-017-9513-3
Full citation:
Aranyosi István (2018) „Body, skill, and look: is bodybuilding a sport?“. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 17 (2), 401–410.