The Germans: no sports but only drills and exercises?

Abstract

The essay is an attempt to critically discuss the assumption, whether sport can be a means to compensate social constraints in the routines of life in modern societies. The thesis is crucial for the sociological concept and translation of the German original text “Über die Deutschen” understanding of sport as considered in the work of Norbert Elias and Eric Dunning (1996). In consequence, this thesis is also relevant for the vision of Olympic sport to contribute for a more peaceful life through bodily education, sports and games. In this essay, the body culture in Germany is mainly respected. Historical research on gymnastics, sports, and games in German society and culture since about 1900 suggests that German society did indeed provide, through games and sports, and particularly for its younger members, ‘sufficient opportunities for the enjoyable excitement of a struggle’. However, instead of a prospering culture of sports, the Germans descended into barbarism only a few years later when the Nazi regime came to power.

Keywords:

• Nationalism
• theory of compensation
• physical education
• drills
• exercises
• games

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Eric Dunning told me that Elias was a great fan of movies and visiting cinemas in Leicester.

2 The contexts of the history of physical education and sport in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries are broadly represented and discussed in Michael Krüger (2020).

3 For example von Krockow (1990, 2000); regarding Sport, Eisenberg (1999). The militarization of German society is regarded as part of the German habitus, as indicated also by Elias in “The Germans” (1990b).

4 See especially the article by Hans Langenfeld: Funktionalisierung und Instrumentalisierung der Leibesübungen und des Sports, in Krüger and Langenfeld (2010), 114–123.