ABSTRACT
Aesthetic bias in sport is examined, beginning with the distinction between mere preference and potentially biased judgment. Aesthetic biases for and against certain types of technique (e.g., the classic, fluid) and physique (e.g., lean, muscular) are identified, even in sports where diversity of technique and physique should be celebrated. The notion of aesthetic injustice is proposed, often involved in aesthetically over- or underrating athletic performances based on group membership: sex, race, class, etc. Where masculine and athletic norms coincide, the trilemma for women is to either sacrifice femininity for athleticism, find their athletic beauty overshadowed by femininity, or – sacrificing neither – pursue sports deemed inferior for being feminine.
