Is Sport an Art? Options

[Tung]

We were having a debate about this in our Writing class earlier. Half of the class was split on this. Some say it is an art, some say it isn't. Opinions?

[Reidar]

Yes, it can be, depending on the application of the performance or body to the conscious use of aesthetic quality and creative delineation. A martial art (which can be a sport, such as boxing), for instance, is an art of warfare (hence "martial"). The physical administration of the concept is quantified as art.

[mipadi]

A martial art (which can be a sport, such as boxing), for instance, is an art of warfare (hence "martial"). The physical administration of the concept is quantified as art.

But the "art" in "martial art" denotes the older meaning of the word "art". Prior to around the twentieth century, an "art" was simply a skill. Look at the phrase "liberal arts", which came about during the Renaissance; subjects like math were considered to be liberal arts.

During the twentieth century, "art" began to refer to the specific skill once known as "fine arts" (painting, sculpting, etc.), which is what "art" usually means now. A martial art isn't really an art in the more modern sense (or, at least, you can't argue it's an art because it has the name "art" in it).