Perspectives on outdoor sports: uncertainty between nature and culture

Problem statement: Outdoor Sports are frequently labeled as "Nature Sports", despite having a lot of other labels, such as adventure sports, alternative sports, extreme sports, lifestyle sports, and so on. Thus, just like every bodily experience, they tend to be commonly considered as natural manifestations both at the personal and social level. Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to discuss the theoretical model that has been used to define Outdoor Sports as "Nature Sports". It is then argued that this label, although interesting, does not ultimately capture the very essence of Outdoor Sports, namely, although practiced in a natural environment, they are culturally defined. To discuss these issues, not just Nature (or Outdoor) Sports label per se, but rather its cultural meaning, the theoretical framework of Motor Praxeology has been adopted. Methods and discussion: Throughout the adoption of a Motor Praxeology framework, this paper describes the criteria for classifying physical activities and sports as both personal and social expressions of communication (between people); and information (concerning the surrounding environment where sports and physical activities are held). It thus presents an analysisof which phenomena arise from this specific field, aiming at recognizing Outdoor Sports values both from the educational and societal point of view. Conclusion: To better understand and acknowledge the Outdoor Sports cultural wealth, it seems useful to adopt the scientific Motor Praxeology framework, which provides a clearer distinction between the role of environmental information and uncertainty, within the Outdoor Sports' field. Likewise, a further and broader conceptual theory development is needed.