Sport in Poetry By JUDY JENSEN

This paper does not attempt to ana- lyze the poetic form or to judge the works for poetic excellence but is, however, concerned with the areas of the sports represented in poetry, the content of the selections, and the ex- perience of poetry. It is recognized that "in individual ways and degrees every- one has the ability to draw pleasure and understanding from poetry. . . ."I

Both terms, sport and poetry, are used in a very liberal and general sense. There are those who reject the use of "poem" with regard to a ma- jority of the works involving sport as a theme, preferring instead "verse." Though this may be a valid concept, the term "poem" will be used through- out this paper. The use of "games" and "play" is not intended to imply that these words are interchangeable with sport but, rather, to suggest that, since there is at least a kinship among them, some insight may be found in the con- cepts which also helps in understand- ing the role of sport.

The aim of the poet is to translate his intimate feelings into a linguistic image, to make the reader's property

that which had become his. One author suggests that poetry started "as a magi- cal chanting to accompany the dance, producing either a lulling of the senses and emotions or a whip to them, and it will always exist as the music and the dance of ~ o r d s . " ~ Poetry not only communicates an experience, but is it- self an experience and ". . . one of the things that has always distinguished man from his brothers the brutes, is his compulsion to make thiigs of beauty out of his own e~perience."~ The typical error, and one which many critics suggest condemns much sport poetry, is the "temptation to pretend our finest feelings are voiced in rhyth- mic cliche^."^ It is interesting to note the claims which indicate poetry is losing its entertainment value and, con- sequently, its mass appeal. Sport po- etry reflects concern for whether or not poetry is being usurped by prose or its appeal is wavering because of the in- clination in today's mass culture to judge works of art on a quite personal basis. This concern becomes more complex in terms of aesthetic expres- sion and the employment of the sport metaphor.

About the Author POETRY-SPORT-CULTURE

Judy Jensen is Assistant Professor of thoughout the ages have Physical Education at State University Col- shown an interest in the world about lege, Brockport, New York. She is chair- man of curriculum development for the them. Sport, as a part of that world, has physical education focus, Significance of been a topic, if only an incidental one, Experiences in Human Movement, and teaches in the philosophy area. in a variety of poems from the early

Sport in Poetry 19

Greeks to modern times. Few, if any, sports have been excluded from poetic works. Since sport depicts the basic premises and value orientations of cul- ture in symbolic form: perhaps insight into a culture can be gained by investi- gating sport in poetry. To a degree this assumption appears to be valid. Cozens and Stumpf, in writing of painting, urge a caution which must also be ob- served by the interpreter of sport in poetry:

The art of a nation is to a limited degree a mirror in which the culture is reflected. Sports have never achieved the place of prominence in American art which they have been accorded in certain other cultures, but the subiect has not been entirely neglected .*. . the popularity of a sport does not necessarily mean a corresponding emphasis in art.6

It is duly recognized that the interpre- tation of sport in poetry should not be taken too literally as an example of the extent to which a particular sport, or sport in general, played a part in a given culture. A particular element or class of society may participate in ac- tivities which another segment ignores. This being the case, gross generaliza- tions regarding a whole culture must be critically examined. Not only do dif- ferent cultures perceive sports differ- ently but segments within one culture may also exhibit dissimilar values re- garding the role of sport within their society.

Brief mention only is made here of the place of sport in society. There is a noticeable trend to place sport, with dance, in the category of an artistic

endeavor in the sense that sport depicts a society's values in symbolic form. Would those who hold this view, then, see sport and poetry as the union of two art forms? Though some un- doubtedly would take this point of view, there are vocal critics who find such a union impossible.

Metheny states that "we create our man-made forms of movement (sport and dance) to make the sense that life makes to us more articulate, and in doing this we enlarge the store of meanings we find in the experience we call life."7 Yet, does the poetry of sport constitute a reflection of our cul- ture?

Rene Maheu excludes sport from "culture's modes of expres~ion."~ Sport and culture arise from the same basic source, leisure, and express similar ethical values. "The artists and the intellectuals have not yet managed to master sport and incorporate it in their work . . . sport is a culture and cor- responds in its content to all that a culture is, but it has not achieved the formal expression proper to c~lture."~ Sport involves the body and the body rates low on the scale of values. The very immanence of the beauty created by sport detracts from its role in art and culture because both seek repre- sentations which can be preserved for eternity and reflect a distance between event and sign. Maheu concludes:

Sport cannot as yet give us what we are offered by artistic expression and culture, namely, a meaning which enables us to transcend the temporary, to transcend all that is

QUEST

ephemeral, and to discover some- thing of eternal value.10

On the other hand, Morrison views sport as the art-form which Maheu says it is not. "There is an a0inity be- tween sports and poetry. Each is a form of play; each is a form of ritual. Each has the power to take us out of ourselves and at times to lift us above ~urselves ."~~

These remarks are quite reminiscent of those of Huizinga who believes ". . . the creative function we call poetry is rooted in a function even more primordial than culture itself, namely play."12 To understand this po- sition more clearly it is necessary to identify the characteristics of play as stated by Huizinga:

An activity which proceeds within certain limits of time and space, in a visible order, according to rules freely accepted, and outside the sphere of necessity or material util- ity. The play-mood is one of rapture and enthusiasm, and is sacred or fes- tive in accordance with the occasion. A feeling of exaltation and tension accompanies the action, mirth and relaxation follow.l3

This point of view is further developed to suggest three basic themes of crea- tive writing-conflict, love, and both. Conflict and love imply rivalry or com- petition; and, competition implies play. So, poetry, a playing with words and language, is similar in many respects to play.

The relationships of sport and cul- ture and sport and poetry obviously have as many implications as points of view. Contending parties express

their attitudes on the basis of carefully conceived rationales or as opinions based on personal feelings. One seg- ment is content to simply say that sports furnish "colorful episodes of modern life" and poetry catches some of the enthusiasm of these contests.14 Another says, "To indicate the temper, the flavor, of the sporting world by means of its verse . . . that, solely, is our wish."15 Or, the more adamant contends ". . . the reader who shall fail to discover . . . an answer in the affirmative to the question 'Is sport a fitting subject for the Poet?' must either have a mind warped by prejudice, or h,ave never known the true passion of a sportsman."16 Even one holding such a strong view adds that sport is "not dwelt upon for long by the true poet, and in the exceptions to this rule the poems often suffer."17

THE SPORTSMAN-POET

The combination of two abilities- the sportsman and the poet-is not often found in a single human being. Various reasons may be cited but it is essential to realize that the combina- tion is imperative if true justice is to be done both poetry and sport:

. . . to meet with one capable of describing the passions of war or the passions of sport without at times sinking into the region of common-

' place, we must find a rare combina- tion in the writer-a man whose mind and body are evenly balanced. . . . Our greatest poets were men of action, not drawing-room pets, stringing out sweet-sounding plati- tudes for sake of acquiring reputa- tion.18

Sport in Poetry 2 1

The poet who has not experienced the essence of movement can only base his writing upon observation and conver- sation. Can these experiences suffice? Before casting all guilt upon the poet, however, it is necessary to consider the sportsman. Is the concept worth not- ing, for example, that "remembering in iranquility the emotion of that descent, the ski runner is more likely to burst into laughter than into poetry. . . . The fact of the matter is, he is quite too healthy to be poetic."19

Poetry . . . is emotion remembered in tranquility. But the tranquility which follows an emotional experi- ence or adventure is usually the tran- quility of intense reflection. The tranquility which follows a physical experience, however emotionally charged with pleasure, is generally the tranquility of bodily relaxation and well-being.20

There is little doubt that the quality of sport poetry is significant not only in terms of its technical structure, but also, as it seeks to create images and share experiences. If, as some contend, some sports may be more "appropri- ate" or "readily" seized upon by the poet, it is important that the experience be effectively conveyed so that the ex- perience might also become that of the reader.

According to Haynes and Harrison, Kipling's "Feet of the Young Men" marked a change in emphasis within the poetry of sport.21 Prior to the ap- pearance of this poem in the 18903, attention was directed almost exclu- sively to the form of the poem-to the picture painted. The product was to be

viewed and admired. Subsequently, sport poetry has come to contain in- spiration beckoning the reader to come and share an experience, to create and share images with the author. The challenge is offered to recognize new meanings of words and to interpret meanings in unusual relationships. In addition, through the sport metaphor it is possible to explore many aspects of life.

The incidental allusions to sport which typzed sport in poetry from after the Greek period (when sport was often a major theme) until at least Chaucer were quite noticeably re- placed by poetry with sport as a theme and especially by what this writer terms the "poetry of involvement."

THE CONTENT OF SPORT POETRY

It is possible to examine poetry from many perspectives. Examining a sport poem for content, one might h d al- lusions to the skills utilized, concepts of player and spectator sportsmanship, the rewards of winning and the dis- couragement of losing, the effects of aging on the athlete, seriousness with which a sport is viewed, biographical information, type of equipment, rules, terminology, physical demands of par- ticipation, costume, officials, humor as- sociated with sport, and many more "facts."

Using "Casey at the Bat" as an ex- ample, Metheny has indicated that:

In the annals of American literature there are few poems more tragic than "Casey at the Bat." Casey tried;

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he tried as all men must try to do ties have been found more compatible than can; and man with poetic treatment than others

in MudviIle was standing in the box trying with him. But he failed; the (hunting, skating, running as opposed

ball went through his bat. And you to team sports, for Embel- will recall the communal sadness of lishments in style or words by the poet that final line . . .22 may obscure the simple facts. The

Looking at the poem "objectively," one finds the following facts: the game is being played by two teams each rep- resenting a town; nine players con- stitute a team; the game is divided into innings; such terms as single, second, third, plate, and strike are useful; a leather-covered ball is used; the game attracts a partisan crowd; an umpire whose decisions are unpopular offici- ates; the playing area is dusty; a ges- ture by a player can calm the crowd; and, tragically, two of the Mudville players died at first.

Such an analysis may appear quite facetious to a reader familiar with baseball, but to a stranger to the game, what can be learned? Not even the name is given and there is only an im- plied objective. Therefore, caution is urged when trying to analyze a poem too literally. When baseball has been long-forgotten, will the reader of "Casey" look back with disgust at a barbaric age when men were "dying" on the playing field and earning little more than passing recognition of the "fact"?

Certain precautions are necessary when attempting to objectively look at sport in poetry. It is not possible to judge the popularity of a sport at a given time by counting the number of times that sport appears in poetry. As mentioned above, some sporting activi-

actual experience of the poet with the sport is also significant and often irn- possible to comprehend. If a poem describes one incident from an entire contest, this must also be considered if one is attempting to learn of the sport. The poet's own values are also quite likely to influence not only his selection of material, but also, his in- terpretation. Just as some poems have been preserved and quoted for one or more reasons, perhaps "poetry-con- sumers" need reminding that some sport poems have survived not for the message they bear or the style they contain, but because they "are little more than curiosities, valuable, as cracked china, for their age or ugli- n e ~ s . " ~ ~ Similarly, one should not be awestruck simply by the fact that Whitman, Riley, Whittier, and other "famous" poets composed poetry using sport as subject-matter.

EXPERIENCE OF POETRY

Since one of the objectives of poetry is to transfer the writer's experience so that it becomes a part of the ex- perience of the reader, this is probably the most significant area of concern for the general reader. It is also a very individual matter. Whether a poem be the quiet reminiscence of a reflective sportsman or an exciting narrative, the reader may well find something similar

Sport in Poetry 23

in his own experiences which gives to this shared occurrence a very personal connotation. The poet may offer the reader an entirely new experience and challenge him to come and "see for himself." A poem may recall a past experience or create new images.

It should be noted that not all sport poetry looks favorably upon sport. Some is satiric, some humorous, some quite derogatory. The reader may be made angry, sympathetic, given new insight into a previously taken-for- granted situation, saddened, or even left untouched. For example, one who has tried to pitch a baseball or softball may find meaning in Robert Francis' lines. One who has not pitched is likely to undergo a very different experience.

His passion how to avoid the obvi- ous,

His technique how to vary the avoidance.

The others throw to be compre- hended. He

Throws to be a moment misunder- stood.24

The experience of poetry is, indeed, personal.

The skier or snow-bunny may well chuckle as he recalls his own similar experience when reading Conrad Diek- mann's take-off on "Trees":

I think that I shall never ski Again against so stout a tree.

A tree whose rugged bark is pressed In bas-relief upon my chest.

A tree that with bacchantic air Wears ski poles in its tangled hair.

I've learned my lesson. Fools like me Should never try to shave a tree.25

Such a poem is humorous even to the casual reader, but to one who has skied and had his own close shaves it must be particularly humorous.

SUMMARY

This paper's intention has neither been to place in order selected bits of poetry to impress the reader with the quality or lack of it regarding sport as a subject of the poet, nor to determine that poetry is a worthy subject of the poet, since ". . . there is scarcely a single subject treated by verse-writers that has not alternately been con- demned as unsuitable and approved as suitable for poetical treatment."26 In addition, the admitted bias of the writer in terms of the joys and beauties of movement experiences would cer- tainly influence any attempt to view such a subject objectively.

Though the styles, intents, and cer- tainly some of the meanings have changed, sport has found a place in poetry as evidenced by examples from nearly every age. Admittedly, sport is alluded to but briefly in a majority of works. However, from Grecian times sport has served as a theme of poetic works.

Various reasons are suggested for the paucity of poems containing sport as a central theme. One of the more significant suggests that the combina- tion of sportsman and poet is rare in one individual. Since experiencing the activity is deemed a vital factor in

24 QUEST

sharing that experience in poetic form, this may well be a reason for the scarc- ity as well as the failure of some sport poems to create effective images. There are, however, many fine poems written by poets who have not themselves been directly involved in the activity. There- fore, other reasons must also be con- sidered.

The role of sport in culture is an- other vital concern in examining sport in poetry. Poetry is a part of culture and art. Sport has not reached either level according to some, and has attained both according to others. Whether semantics is an essential prob- lem in this disagreement requires in- vestigation outside the scope of this paper. Certainly people play, and sports are a part of play. Can play, therefore sport, be cultural?

One might also examine poetry for "factual" content in search of insight into the times in which the sport in- volved took place. Caution is a neces- sity in such an examination. The sport may have but incidental significance to a rather limited number of people in a culture. The poet's own interpretation and the possibility of style affectations may alter the actual event. The "poem" is certainly lost in such an investiga- tion.

The use of the sport metaphor has been an effective association of sport and poetry. There is, too, the experi- ence of poetry, the imagery, the trans- ference of the reader from ordinary worldly concerns. In this respect po- etry becomes very personal. And for those who like neither sport nor poetry "there is always the hope that they take

pleasure in nature, music, art, or are fortunate in love. For the man with no poetry in his life is a dead man.'727

Do all these analyses and searchiigs amount to a misplaced tempest on a vast and tranquil sea? If one is seeking the sheer enjoyment of spending a quiet evening with poetry book in hand, these concerns must appear un- necessary. But to the scholar of poetry such considerations are indeed impor- tant. And to us as physical educators and sportsmen? We must believe that what we do has value. Are we not also, then, concerned with conveying these values to our students? Must we, in turn, be concerned with the place of sport in culture, hence with sport in poetry as the latter represents one of the art forms of culture?

REFERENCES

1. Jones, Bryn. The Integration of Poetry. Hong Kong: Cathay Press, 1956, p. 10.

2. Drew, Elizabeth. Poetry: A Modern Guide to Its Understanding and Enjoy- ment. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1959, p. 26.

3. Zbid., p. 13. 4. Jones, op. cit., p. 5. 5. American Association for Health, Phys-

ical Education, and Recreation. Social Changes and Sport. Washington, D. C.: American Association for Health, Phys- ical Education, and Recreation, 1959.

6. Cozens, Frederick W., and Stumpf, Florence. Sports in American Life. Chi- cago: University of Chicago Press, 1953, p. 238.

7. Metheny, Eleanor. Connotations of Movement in Sport and Dance. Du- buque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company, Inc., 1965, p. 21.

8. Maheu, Rene. "Sport and Culture." Journal o f Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Vol. 34, No. 8, Oc- tober, 1963, p. 30.

9. Ibid., p. 31. 10. Ibid., p. 54.

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