International Council for Health,Physical Education and Recreation
A Critical Consideration On Sport
The Ideas and Philosophy of TROPS
Masaru Okazaki(Uedaminami Elementary School in Nagoya)
Ken Kageyama(Aichi University of Education)
Marcelo Olivera Cavalli(Aichi University of Education of
Graduate Student)
ICHPER 36TH WORLD CONGRESS YOKOHAMA August 20, 1993
Toyo Eiwa Women's University
(D Room 5203, 13:40-14:00)
Summary
Since a decade ago we are making efforts to promote the-spread of a new type
of physical movement called Trops. Here we present at the idea and philosophy of
Trops, as well as the present situation of its movement in Japan.
The name TROPS was newly created by us through reading the word SPORT
backward. As to be shown by the naming, Trops movement has strong criticisms
toward modern Sport.
First of all, we have to criticize a modern sport. There are four kinds of
problems in the modern sport. The first is the competitism in sport, that
causes the discrimination. The second is High-Technology in sport, that causes
many injuries. The third is the environmental disruption caused by sport. The
fourth is the relationship between sport and politic. It means that the sport
become an agent of political power.
The core of all problems is the industrialism of sport in present, society.
This way of thinking is reflected in our Trops.Trops has six characteristic
factors. These are the cooperation, the power consciousness, the hand-made idea
the expression, the communication and the totality.
The most important idea is not "Winning is everything", but "Challenge
towards Co-Existence"
１. The aims of this research
The aim of this research is to introduce our ideas about the Trops
movement. The word "Trops" was newly created by us, and if you read it backward,
you would be able to easily understanding.
As the word shows by the meaning, Trops is a movement againstpresent
sports. I would like to say with special emphasis that there Are many problems
in modern sport in contemporary society. The ideas of Trops was born through
radical criticism to modern sport.
2. What is Trops ?
Trops is a group of game and also a kind of social movement. Here, I will
present some example of Trops games.
One of them is "Cooperative Music Chair", As you know it was created by a
Canadian scholar, and emphasis is placed upon cooperation rather than
competition.
For your information, I will explain how the gam^ is played.
In the original version, "The Music Chair", when the music stops, a
participant and a chair are withdrawn from the game. In our version, only the
chair is out of the game, the participants stay up to the end of the game. So,
the idea is that the participants have to help each other to suit in the
remaining chairs.
Another one is Cooperative Tug-Of-War. The aim of the game is not beat the
other team, but to enjoy to draw the tug. If one team becomes to overcome the
other team in drawing, some of the team members can move to the other team at
once. In this game, to win is not to allowed.
We gathered and created more games like those described above. Further, we
arranged them in order to be easily understood, and published some books about
Trops games. Unfortunately, they are written only in Japanese.
Although, Trops was created by us, it is certain that the opposition
movement against the invitation for the '88 Nagoya Olympic Games by citizens
stimulated its creation.
3. What are the problem of sport in modern industrial society ?
Modern sport was created in combination with the industrial revolution. It
is clearly that many factors influenced the development sports. Although
development was remarkable, at the same time, many problems have been
originated. I'll talk about four points which I consider to be great problems
of present sport and also I'll consider the background of the these problems.
I ）The principle of competitivism
In present sport, the belief that beating others is the most important one.
We call this principle as ^Cmpetitivism" here. This principle instills a
certain kind of discrimination into winners as well as losers. Winners are
allowed to oppress losers within the sport system. As for losers, they come to
have a sense of inferiority and, as a result, to lose will to play sport,
again.
At this point, we can verify that these same problems are present in modern
society too. The discriminating structures are seen as integral parts of our
lives everywhere. Through the observation of these facts we can see close
similarities between modern sport and present society. Rather, we could say
that modern sport have developed through positively taking the characteristics
of the industrial society.
2）The high-technology in sport
Those involved in modern sport must use high-technology to beat others, and
this same high-technology have produced many problems. We know that many doping
cases and many injuries, were caused by such high-technology training. It
needless to say that high-technology is a production of rationality. Modern
sport also a production rationality.
3） The environmental disruption caused by sport
The construction and maintenance of sport facilities is usually accompanied
by the destruction of nature, which is a kind of ecocide. The pleasure of sport
involved risks. Industrial society, with the optimistic view of
developmental ism has caused many troubles in sport and the society. Recently in
one prefecture, several hectares of trees have been cut down in order to build
tennis-courts for the '94 National Athletic Meeting.
4）The close relationship between sport and politics
Sport has always acted as an agent of power politics. Sport cosmology which
concerns political neutrality has rather effected this close relationship with
politics. The neutrality is always used as a blindfold to political
manipulation. At the same time sport can make people's attention turn away from
political issues.
4. What are the characteristics of Trops ?
Here I'll indicate six characteristics of Trops. It is clear that they are
based on critiques to modern sport and industrial society that I've already
told about.
1）The first one is the pursuit of the cooperative life and living is the
central of Trops.
Sport is destined to the pursuit of victory. The winner is predominant over
the loser and has special privileges. So the loser and the weak are accessories
of the winner. But Trops never discriminates players in terms of victory and
defeat, sex,class,age, and handicap. It is necessary to have cooperation between
each other to enjoy Trops. Therefore, cooperation, not competition, is required
to enjoy Trops. Everybody can win.
2） The second characteristic is related to anti-power consciousness.
Trops movement doesn't escape from social problems and politics. Some of
Trops game include political theme, and in this regard it is possible to enjoy
them and use the political problems in issue as objects of laugh.
3）The third one is hand-made idea.
Playing Trops, we use hand-made tools and daily usage things. Therefore, we
don't use big facilities and high-technology tools as much as we can. And Trops
tools have conviviality with nature. The utility value is more important than
the exchange value in Trops. We criticize the idea of making sport and game a
commodity. Trops is more economical and simple than sport.
4）The fourth is expression.
Japanese people has lack of skill to express their own thoughts and
feelings. Playing Trops, it is possible to express what we think, and we can
have a contact with social problems and be conscious of the root of the
problem.
5）Communication is the fifth characteristic.
It's considered to be very important for the understanding of human nature.
Communication in Trops is very comfortable, but in modern society it has been
looked down on. Particularly in the school education, most teachers want to
institutionalize value in students. Therefore, the students must lose all zeal
to express their own thoughts, feelings and arguments. And they become not to
assert themselves to the teachers as agents of political power.
6）Finally the idea of totality.
Trops is the total movement. Skill and record are very important in Little
league and sport clubs. But in Trops, preparation, ideas, gathering members and
discussion are very important. In addition, such as eating and performing daily
actions and non-physical movements with the participants/members are in the
scope of Trops.
I hope you could understand
the six key factors of Trops.
5 Trops and modern industrial society
In conclusion, I must talk about the significance of Trops in present
society. Everybody knows that present society is suffering from many problems,
and sport seemed to have rather created these problems from the inside, and
supported the industrial society. In this situation Trops aims endeavor to
create a new society and new values through the development of body culture. In
this sense, Trops is a kind of cultural movement as well as a social movement.Now, we must reflect and re-think the concept of the industrialism. Trops
emerges as a new culture, being based on these reflections and aiming to
re-think our practice. Therefore Trops are an alternative game instead of
industrial sport. Enjoy Trops without the professionalism and the surplus
service. We reflect about the society where we live, and pLay cooperatively,
and we go beyond the structure of friend and foe when we enjoy Trops.
And we can catch the hope to create a new society and happiness, so we will
understand that our Trops-life isn't a zero-some game as sport, but rather the
challenge towards co-existence.
Bibliography