The intellectual heritage of modernity has not contributed to the development of philosophical thinking about sport. However, there have been personalities who have interpreted sport from a deeper perspective than what common sense would suggest. One of them was José María Cagigal, pedagogue and philosopher representing the international Olympic movement and Physical Education in Spain. This essay analysed the ideas of this thinker in relation to his concept of sport. In this way, it was possible to identify an interpretation aimed at extending cultural and epistemological boundaries. This promoted meanings with ambiguity and relativity between the contemporary distinction of physical activity, physical exercise, play and sport. Nevertheless, it is appreciated that Cagigal's thinking has the potential to avoid reductionisms around universal definitions of sporting activity that can be established.