Mechanization of the sportive body
Rafael Mendoza
In her book Dehumanization: How violence is legitimized, social psychologist Chiara Volpato considers that the mechanization of the human body is still a pervasive form of dehumanization in contemporary societies. Drawing on Marx’s idea of alienated labor, Volpato contends that this phenomenon finds its origins in the rise of industrial capitalism, particularly under Taylorism, a scientific management approach aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity by quantifying every action of the worker in the factory and office. Under the rigorous work processes established by Taylorism, human movements become mechanical, thus reducing humans to mere cogs in a machine, devoid of agency. Volpato further contends that the mechanization of individuals is subtle, occurring unconsciously but eroding human autonomy, freedom, creativity, and a sense of fulfillment. In this essay, it is argued that this mechanization is present in the contemporary sports atmosphere. This happens because how sports are taught and trained reflects alienated labor, where every single action of the participant is quantified and measured to increase efficiency in the field of play. Although sports do not embody a labor base, contrary to the beliefs of the neo-Marxist sports theorists, it is maintained that their contributions are still relevant to reevaluating the current sports scenario. These authors highlight the enduring dehumanizing atmosphere in modern sports, particularly regarding training methods and approaches to sports that tend to mechanize the body.
Keywords
Sportive body, mechanization, dehumanization, labor, gameplay.
