The philosopher’s score

Eoin Kelly’s striking. Ronaldinho’s flicks. Brian O’Driscoll’s running with the ball in hand. Enjoy the aesthetic experience, says a Stanford professor of literature. Michael Moynihan found out how an eighteenth century philosopher explains the appeal of sport.

LIKE most of us, Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht has two lives. In the real world he’s the Albert Guerard, Professor of Literature in the departments of comparative literature, French and Italian at Stanford University, Professeur Associé à l’Université de Montréal, Professeur attaché au Collège de France, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His main working areas are the literary and cultural history of the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment and the early 20th century, media history, literary theory, modern western philosophy, and the development of a non-interpretive approach to cultural phenomena.

However, Professor Gumbrecht also has a sports life.