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In Praise of Fascist Beauty?

Taking as starting points a number of Gumbrecht's ideas and assertions about the merits and values of sport, this article considers if and why it might be worthy of our attention; as a spectacle and focus of study. Gumbrecht's questions about sport and ancient identities, its irresistible ability to seize the imagination, capture and distract attention, and his intrigue at the power of the mass crowds and empty stadia are related to various examples of sport in Fascist Italy. The first dictatorship to fully appreciate its power, this article shows how sport was both actor and object, exactly why this made it so important to the regime, and just how, in fact, this supports many of Gumbrecht's points. This brief analysis of Fascist sport that was both vast, ruthlessly organised and very successful, considers international and domestic football, boxing and Italy's World Heavyweight Champion Primo Carnera, plus the importance of crowds, stadiums and sporting venues, in assessing the role of athletes and events in the creation of athletic drama that was represented as a national collective experience. In the process, it will demonstrate sport's role as an important historical tool, whether it and its athletes are praiseworthy or not.