Fair Play: Sports, Values, And Society - Softcover

Fair Play explores broad issues in the philosophy of sport by examining the ethical presuppositions of competitive athletics and their connections to moral and ethical theory. Professor Simon develops a model of athletic competition as a mutually acceptable quest for excellence, and applies that model to such topics as the emphasis on winning, the conflict between equality and excellence in athletics, the use of performance enhancing drugs, violence, sex equality, and the role of sport in our educational institutions. The discussion of each topic deals with examples from the world of sport and illuminates them in light of philosophical work on such values as fairness, justice, integrity, and respect for rights. We have become used to the world of sports being rocked by scandals. Stars are deprived of their Olympic gold medals because of their use of performance-enhancing drugs; heroes are suspended or banned from their sport for gambling or for connections to gambling; major universities are involved in recruiting scandals and are accused of exploiting their own students. But ethical concerns about sports run deeper than the current scandals in todays headlines. Athletic competition itself has been criticized as reflecting a selfish concern with winning at the expense of others. Some question the emphasis on an athletically skilled elite at the expense of broader participation by the masses, and many worry about what constitutes sex equality in sports. Others believe the role of sports ought to be greatly diminished in our educational institutions. Do organized competitive sports have a legitimate place in our schools, and, if so, how is that place to be defined?Professor Simon develops a model of athletic competition as a mutually acceptable quest for excellence and applies it to these and other ethical issues in sports. The discussion of each topic deals with examples from the world of sport, illuminated by philosophical work on such values as fairness, justice, integrity, and respect for rights. Fair Play offers a rigorous exploration of the ethical presuppositions of competitive athletics and their connections to moral and ethical theory that will challenge the views of scholars, students, and the general reader. Our understanding of sports as a part of society will be reshaped by this accessible and entertaining book.

Robert L. Simon is professor of philosophy at Hamilton College.