Senses and Emotions in the History of Sport

Like most historians, sport historians have generally emphasized the visual and cognitive dimensions of human experience while neglecting the sensorial and the emotional. This essay suggests that the rapid expansion and the growing sophistication of historical study of senses and emotions have created exciting opportunities for sport history. More systematic attention to the role of senses and emotions in shaping perceptions of and meanings derived from sport could enrich our understanding of the history of sport. The essay offers some suggestions as to how such issues might be further explored.