Hermeneutics of (sport) heroism

Abstract

The work is based on an interpretation of heroism and its specific forms in comparison with the possible heroism of sports. The first part discusses the definition of heroism and then we acquaint with selected concepts of heroism (Campbell's conception, interpretation of literary myths, Christian heroism, Carlyle’s interpretation of heroism and Boorstin’s "Graphical Revolution"). The second part follows in critical perspectives of the possibility of sports heroism (Zdebska, Jirásek, Robertson, Sheler, and Hyland). In the results appear the syntheses of these two parts, which appraise the possibilities of the athletes as heroes. We notice mainly the fact that the potential sports hero is missing many aspects of classical heroes. In addition of that, most of mentioned Critics claim that sporting events is out of real world and it is a sort of theater with no real ties to the world.