The Racing Ethos of the Homeric and Modern Athlete

Abstract

The racing spirit since ancient times, has been one of the main characteristics of ancient Greeks. According to Homer, in which the first description of sports competitions is found, the sporting mood that manifests itself in every form of social life, is also strongly reflected in athletics too. What ethical values of the era does the sporting activity reflect during the Homeric period?What are the characteristics of the system of values of Homeric society, which forge the bravery of brave men and warriors? To what extent are the athletes of Homer inspired by the heroic ideal, that they act as «agathos» (the noblest and most valiant) and «aristos» the best in rank, birth, nobility and morality)? In Homeric society, athletic distinction and physical «alki» ) are the means for demonstrating the «areti» ) of man. Races are not aimed at performance, as they are nowadays, but they are real battles, that engage in meanings of lasting cultural and moral character. On the contrary, today, sporting activity is influenced by the economic nature of modern technocratic culture. This results in the athlete concentrating on his physical performance in a unilateral way, that does not favor the all-round development of man. For this reason, the modern athlete is called upon to overcome any unilateral and self-centered tendencies, and to seek the spirit of authentic sport, structuring a symmetrical relationship between soul and body.