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Sports Practice Communities and the Essence of Sport: Furthering the Internalism debate

In order to further the ongoing debate on internalism among sports philosophers (Russell, Krechmar, Lopes Frias, Moore, MacRae), the author returns to the earliest sources on the topic (Morgan, 1987 and 1994). There, Morgan (1987, 17- 18) uses MacIntyre’s (1981, 203, 209) distinctions between social practice and social institutions, and between internal and external goods, as well as the notion of (sports) practice communities (SPC) (see Morgan, 1994, 234-246). For the purpose of this article the author identifies two crucial insights in Morgan: first, that practising sport is the only way to reach the inherent and internal goods of sport (Morgan, 1994, 133), and second, tightly connected to the first, SPC are the bearer of the values, goods and virtues internal to sports (Morgan, 1995, 236). On this basis, it is argued that without (and outside of) SPC, there are no inherent and intrinsic or internal goods and values of and in sports ; and so SPC should be at the centre of every discussion on internalism. On the other hand, the author claims that the discussion on internalism is actually never- ending. He finds two major reasons for that: firstly, sport cannot be rationally and scientifically captured ; and secondly, there is no essence of sport, there are only internal goods and values essential to the sport, combined with a specific ethos. However, the author suggests that it is extremely important to continue the normative debates, in the service of sport as an ethical enterprise.

sports practice communities ; essence of sport ; internalism ; W. J. Morgan

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