Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
THETRUTHOFSPORT
spacelimitationshadbeenremovedbyeditorsofmyearlierpapers.Inone
caseitrequiredachangeinorderoftwoorthreeparagraphswithout,however,
changingtheiressenceandgeneralcontent.Inmostcases,mylecturesand
paperswereneverrepeatedinthesameform,becausemycontinuedresearch
providedthemwithnewlyestablishedfactsandnewsources.Herereadercan
finditsfinal,muchimprovedandbestshape.Forinstance,thefirstversionof
mypaperFromFilotimitoFairPlayandSportsmanship:SomeRemarksonthe
HistoryofSportsEthicsoriginallycontainedinformation,basedonwellestab-
lishedandconfirmedfacts,thatthefirstusageofthetermfairplaywasbyWil-
liamShakespeareinhisdrama,meLifeandDeathofKingJohninachivalric
contextandslightlyearlierorlaterbyJamesBalmfordinhistreatiseoncard
playing.TenIobservedsomethingwhichhadbeenoverlookedbysportshis-
torians,thatfairplaywasalsousedintheShakespeareandramameTempest,
butthisdidnotendthestory.Inthisstateofknowledgeaboutfairplay,the
paperwasdeliveredatleasttwiceasanacademiclectureandthenpublishedin
thecollectiveworkFairPlayandOlympism.OpportunityofUtopiaunderthe
editorshipofZofiaŻukowskaandRyszardŻukowskiin2010.Justafewmonths
aferitspublication,IdiscoveredthatinaletterofSirFrancisKnollys,anemi-
nentcourtierofElizabethI,thetermwasusedinapurelysportingcontext!
HappythatIcouldimprovemylecture,Idelivereditduringapost-graduate
seminaroftheInternationalOlympicAcademyin2013,convincedthattaking
theetymologyofthetermbackabout30yearswouldbefinal.Notatall!Afer
meetingaspecialistinMiddle-English,ProfessorPiotrGąsiorowski,Iwasen-
couragedtolookinmedievalEnglishtexts.Supportedbytheinestimablehelp
ofProfessorGąsiorowski,wefoundthatthetermfairplay,inslightlydiferent
formasfaireplay,hadbeenusedinachivalriccontextinamedievalpoem
fromtheearly15thcenturytitledmeSiegeofJerusalem.Techapteronthe
historyofsportsethicscontainedinthisbookincludesallofthesediscoveries,
whichIamconvincedwillimproveourknowledgeoftheoriginsoffairplay,
becauseitalsoincludesotherearlyliteraryappearancesoftheterm,usedby
suchgreatnovelistsasWalterScottandBenjaminDisraeli.Honestlyspeaking,
sofarIhavenotfoundinanyworkonthehistoryofsportsethicsanymention
ofthosewriters.
Similargradualimprovementsweremadetothemajorityofmyearlierlec-
turesandpapers,untiltheyachievedtheformincludedinthisbookaschap-
ters.Tecarefulreaderwilleasilydiscoversuchmomentsinmytexts.When
theoriginalversionofmylectureonsportslanguageandlinguisticswaspub-
lishedinthePolishversion,andthenunderUNESCOpatronageandalsoinan
12
