A Sporting Chance: Relationships Between Technological Change and Concepts of Fair Play in Fishing

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Abstract
This paper traces the interaction of ideas about fair play (i.e., sportsmanship) and technological change in fishing. The essence of sport is contrived, self-imposed difficulties in pursuit of some goal. Overcoming these obstacles provides the psychic rewards to the practitioner and the approbation of his/her audience. The historical record reveals that each significant technological advance in the sport of fishing has induced revisions in the standards of fair play, maintaining and perhaps even widening the challenges confronting the sportsperson. Although popular in the general culture, fishing has only recently received attention from social scientists of sport. This paper illuminates another dimension of homo ludens by illustrating the lure and lore of sport fishing.

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