Cover driving gracefully:on the aesthetic appreciation of cricket

Todd, Cain Samuel (2007) Cover driving gracefully:on the aesthetic appreciation of cricket. Sport in Society, 10 (5). pp. 856-877. ISSN 1743-0445

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Abstract

In this essay I argue against what I call ‘functionalist claims’ that the aesthetic appreciation of cricket, and sport more generally, can be reduced to or is subordinate to the putative purpose of the game, namely winning. Such claims, I contend, rest on a certain dubious Kantian-inspired dichotomy between aesthetic and functionalist values that ought to be rejected. In the course of criticizing these views I discuss the nature of aesthetic versus non-aesthetic assessments, including the salient differences and similarities between art and sport; the relationship between the cognitive and affective elements involved in the aesthetic appreciation of cricket; and the normative nature of the aesthetic judgements made. Appealing to the concept of ‘play’ and to Kant's account of aesthetic appreciation I argue, firstly, that the essential nature of cricket appreciation, qua cricket, just is aesthetic; secondly, that a proper, full appreciation of the game requires a particular type of aesthetic understanding, kinaesthetic and imaginative in nature, which, I suggest, can be illuminated further by appealing to the rich account of C.L.R. James.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Sport in Society
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3316
Subjects:
?? CULTURAL STUDIES ??
ID Code:
76512
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
09 Nov 2015 15:26
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
17 Sep 2023 01:43