Sport Versus Art: A South African Contest

Sport and the arts may compete for sponsors and for public interest, but do they necessarily stand in opposition to one another? Why is it so often assumed that sport is popular because it is an unintelligent endeavour? And why is it apparently inevitable that there is an element of elitism in the arts? Have we drawn a false dichotomy between the two pursuits? What do we make of arts practitioners and "intellectuals" who are passionate about sport? Or sports buffs who take a keen interest in literature, music, theatre, dance, and the visual arts? Sport versus Art is a collection of essays, commentaries, personal memoirs, and humorous pieces attempting to answer these and other questions about a fraught relationship at the heart of South Africars"s public life. There has never been a publication of this kind-it brings together a range of contributions from sport and arts journalists, arts practitioners, academics, and other writers.Chris Thurman is a lecturer in the department of English literature at Wits University in Johannesburg.