Games, Games, Games: Humanism’s Understanding of the Parallel Arenas of Life

My paper pexplores the humanizing ethic of sport that counters the weighing imposition of authoritarian governments. I suggest that viewing sports through the philosophy of humanism provides a window into speaking about and addressing difficult topics like religion and politics in sporting spaces. Humanism is a lifestance that envisions and practices living well without organized religion, typically amongst individuals in a loose collective of nonbelievers. I argue that humanism can act as an interpretive framework through which sport becomes a site of ethical resistance. I draw upon humanist insights from religion and sport theorists like Eric Bain-Selbo, the theory of Olympism in conversation with early modern humanist philosophers like Albert Camus, values conveyed from prominent atheist professional athletes, and compare between the story of Springboks role in addressing the aftermath of the South Africa apartheid and the targeted effort amongst American female professional athletes against unjust governmental structures.