Abstract: This paper analyses the significance of returning to and attaching importance to the research on fundamental theories of sports in the era of thought change. It is suggested that the return to and the stress on the research on fundamental theories of sports should be strengthened in terms of their essence, origins, and principles, and the “critical thinking” and “circle-breaking” ability in the research on fundamental theories of sports should be promoted through “thought change”. At the same time, the “macro-historical outlook” and “macro-sports outlook” provide new concepts and value guidance for the research on fundamental theories of sports. On this basis, the paper proposes the basis for improving the research on fundamental theories of sports in China from the ontological, epistemological, and methodological dimensions, namely, firstly, to clarify the ontological issues on fundamental theories of sports by correcting their origins, secondly, to clarify the epistemological issues on fundamental theories of sports by adhering to a truthful and pragmatic scientific research attitude, and finally, to clarify the methodological issues on fundamental theories of sports through academic debate, questioning and criticism.

Key words: thought change, fundamental theories of sports, macro-historical outlook, macro-sports outlook, value orientation