Sport and Human Development

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Abstract
Sport is a conspicuous part of modern culture and is heatedly discussed by athletes, coaches, fans, sports writers, and social scientists. It is often exalted as a developer of character and criticized as a dehumanizing force. In this article I discuss sport as it relates to the continuing dialectic between the individual and society. Its initial appeal is that it simplifies that dialectic by offering a potential for the experience of conflict and for its resolution. This process may be particularly useful in the course of ontogenetic or individual change. Nevertheless, the current commercializing of sport and the bureaucratization of its control seem to undermine its special qualities of separateness and play. A critical analysis requires a closer examination of the experience of sport involvement in relation to the prevailing issues of the day. Thus, sport is examined in relation to Author's Note: I wish to acknowledge the helpful criticism of Stephen Brock, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Norman Denzin, John Kelly, and Michael Novak, given during the development of this manuscript. ontogenetic change, using the developmental framework of Erik Erikson,and as it fits into the broader dialectic of the developing individual in an evolving society.

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