Surfing and the Philosophy of Sport

Surfing and the Philosophy of Sport uses the insights gained through an analysis of the sport of surfing to explore key questions and discourses within the philosophy of sport. As surfing has been practiced dynamically, since its beginnings as a traditional Polynesian pursuit to its current status as a counter-culture lifestyle and also a highly professionalized and commercialized sport that will be included in the Olympic Games, it presents a unique phenomenon from which to reconsider questions about the nature of sport and its role in a flourishing life and society. Daniel Brennan examines foundational issues about defining sport, sport's role in conceptualizing the good life, the aesthetic nature of sport, the place of technology in sport, the principles of Olympism and surfing's embodiment of them, and issues of institutionalized sexism in sport and the effect that might have on athletic performance.

Daniel Brennan is assistant professor of philosophy at Bond University.

Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Surfing and Sport Chapter 2: Waves and Wipeouts in Utopia Chapter 3: Drawing Lines on Waves; surfing and the aesthetics of sport Chapter 4: Making Waves: Surfing and Technology Chapter 5: Surfing's Olympian Moment Chapter 6: Surfing like a Girl: Sexism in Surf Culture and Feminine Motility Conclusion Bibliography About the Author