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En este artículo se explora la conexión entre el deporte, la competición y la sociedad capitalista a partir de trabajos de filosofía del deporte y teoría crítica. Inicialmente, se identifican los juegos, especialmente los deportes, como actividades fundamentales en la actualidad. En concreto, se afirma que la glorificación de la victoria en las competiciones deportivas impregna la actitud hacia la competición de quienes habitan las sociedades capitalistas. Así, los deportes pueden entenderse como ventanas para observar el “ethos del logro” inherente al capitalismo. Posteriormente, se exploran las nociones filosóficas de la competición deportiva centradas tanto en la victoria como en el mutualismo. Lo que se desprende de este análisis es que la competición en sí no es intrínsecamente negativa. Se vuelve perjudicial cuando se persigue a toda costa. En consonancia con el mutualismo deportivo de Robert L. Simon, se defiende que la competición puede producir resultados morales y sociales positivos cuando se enfoca como una “búsqueda mutua de la excelencia”. Para concluir, rastreo esta concepción positiva y mutualista de la competición hasta las reflexiones sobre el agōn y la excelencia en la antigua Grecia y Roma.

Francisco Javier López Frías, Penn State, University Park, Pensilvania, Estados Unidos.

Associate Professor in Kinesiology and Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute. This article is part of the research project “Ética cordial y democracia inclusiva en una sociedad tecnologizada,” reference PID2022-139000OB-C21, funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, EU.

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