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A PHILOSOPHICAL MAP OF THE LITERATURE ON GAY MEN IN SPORTS

Michael Eduard L. Labayandoy

 

Abstract:

The “philosophy of sports” is now a well-established field of inquiry. Philosophy undeniably has so much to offer in making sense of sports. A closer look at the literature on philosophy and sports, however, shows that there is a dearth of studies that center on gay men. In addition, most of the literature are framed sociologically and not necessarily philosophically. This paper, therefore, is an attempt to philosophically map the existing scholarly literature on gay men in sports that were published in the past ten years. The researcher uses the three branches or traditions in philosophy namely metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology as conceptual tools. The metaphysical literature mostly deals with how the society (e.g., through media presentations) construct portrayals of gay athletes. Epistemologically, the problem of meaning and justifications of what a “gay athlete is” are central concerns. The literature on axiology revolves on the concepts of morality, power, and the criteria for judgment in line with the prejudices and discriminations against gay men in sports. The researcher argues that philosophically mapping the literature allows us to see the tendencies, gaps, and directions. A preliminary mapping will help us further imagine what else can be focused on to build a more nuanced philosophical understanding of sports and gender.