ABSTRACT
Existential philosophy is commonly associated with ‘existentialism’ and understood as a both cultural and philosophical movement in Europe in the 1930s to 1950s. This chapter provides a brief overview of existential philosophy, including the most central aspects and key ideas found in this tradition. It outlines central positions and topics in existential philosophy. The chapter describes sources and ways in which existential philosophy has been, and prospectively could be, taken up in the philosophy of sport. Existential philosophy can inform an understanding where neglecting the elementary possibility of freedom would be to overlook a central and potentially constructive part of being human, not least in sport. A. Soren Kierkegaard can in transcendent way inform ways in which sportive engagements can allow human beings to relate to a transcendent dimension of existence, for better or worse. The chapter focuses on their writings, which also share a common view of the human condition, namely that it involves conflict and resistance.
