Synopses & Reviews
Addressing both collegiate and professional sports, the updated edition of Fair Play: The Ethics of Sport explores the ethical presuppositions of competitive athletics and their connection both to ethical theory and to concrete moral dilemmas that arise in actual athletic competition. This fourth edition has been updated with new examples, including a discussion of Spygate by the New England Patriots and recent discoveries on the use of performance enhancing drugs by top athletes. Two additional authors, Cesar R. Torres and Peter F. Hager, bring to this edition a discussion of the moral issues involved in youth sports and the ethics of being a fan, as well as a fresh perspective on the theories of broad internalism and the quest for excellence. Furthermore, major criticisms of broad internalism by philosophers William J. Morgan and Scott Kretchmar add a new dimension to the discussion on the moral foundations of winning.
Review
Praise for the fourth edition:
"It is a great work of scholarship: thorough, well-thought out, very well organized, very respectful of athletes and non-athletes alike. Pitches to a broad audience, very accessible. Even when the topics are philosophically meaty, Simon, Torres, and Hager are patient with taking sufficiently long enough for a clear explanation. I believe the book encourages civil, reflective, engaged discussion. It is extremely relevant to modern U.S. society, particularly when including the commercialization of sport and even a small section on business ethics."
Catherine Sherron, Thomas More College
"Simon, Torres, and Hager meticulously detail important ethical concepts without sacrificing appeal to a more general sport-loving audience. The book also strikes a nice balance between theory and application. Where other books attempt to balance theory and application by equally dividing up the content into categories of theory and applied cases, Fair Play thoughtfully addresses applied cases in tandem with more theoretical considerations. This blended approach is, in my mind, an excellent example of how philosophy ought to be performed, and is one reason why I choose this book. It is an excellent model for both beginning and advanced philosophy students alike."
Joan Grassbaugh Forry, University of Southern California
Praise for prior editions:
"This third edition of Fair Play is like those that preceded itaccessible, intelligent, persuasive, and well written. But Professor Simon has improved the book by including new information, most notably on the issues of genetic enhancement and intercollegiate athletic reform. Now, more than ever before, Fair Play stands out as the premier text in the area."
Scott Kretchmar, Pennsylvania State University
"Robert Simons new edition of Fair Play is, simply put, the best book of its kind in the literature. The new section on genetic enhancement and the expanded section on the moral quandaries of intercollegiate sports are welcome, not to mention timely, additions. Whats more, the book is a compelling read, free of jargon, persuasively argued, and teeming with incisive commentary."
William Morgan, University of Southern California
"Since, as Professor Simon says, sports play a major role in the lives of Americans, reflection on sports raises issues that not only have intrinsic interest but also go beyond the bounds of sport itself. The role of philosophy is to critically examine the complex issues in sports and our beliefs about them. Simon is a master at this. This third edition builds and expands these evaluations, especially in a time when sports in the U.S. are undergoing intense moral scrutiny. Readers will find this edition replete with contemporary examples, expanded discussions of performance enhancement drug use and of issues in intercollegiate sports, and a new section on genetic enhancement. This edition provides deeper insight into major issues in the philosophy of sport, and its accessibility makes it a must read for anyone who is interested in sports or interested in the role sports play in America."
Jan Boxill, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Synopsis
A comprehensive and accessible exploration of competitive sports, ethical theory, and the concrete moral dilemmas in athletic competition.
Synopsis
This book is primarily concerned with some of the most important kinds of philosophical issues that arise in sport which are ethical or moral ones. It focuses on the nature of principles and values that should apply to sport.
About the Author
Robert L. Simon is Bartlett Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. He is the author (with Norman E. Bowie) of
The Individual and the Political Order, Neutrality and the Academic Ethics, and
Fair Play. He also is editor of
The Blackwell Guide to Social and Political Philosophy, and is the author of numerous articles in political philosophy and on ethical issues in sport. Simon has held fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and the National Humanities Center.
Simon has served as President of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and received its Distinguished Scholar Award in 2004. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, acted as Associate Editor of Ethics, and presently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport. He has been appointed to the Advisory and Editorial Board for the NCAA Scholarly Colloquium on College Sports by former NCAA President Myles Brand, and was Vice President of the Board from 2009 to 2011. Simon also was mens golf coach at Hamilton 1987-2001, and several of his teams were nationally ranked in Division III of the NCAA during that period.
Cesar R. Torres is Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies, and Physical Education at The College at Brockport, State University of New York. He is the editor of The Bloomsbury Companion to the Philosophy of Sport and the author of numerous articles in the philosophy and history of sport. Torres has served as President of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and has been elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology. He is a recipient of the State University of New York Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities and of the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sports Reinhard Sprenger Award for Young Scholars. Torres is presently the Associate Editor of the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport and serves on several international editorial boards.
Peter F. Hager earned his PhD in Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2002. He is currently an Associate Professor of Sport Studies at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, where he has taught since 2000. Dr. Hager teaches courses in ethics, philosophy, sociology, and psychology of sport and exercise in the colleges Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies, and Physical Education. His primary research interests include moral reasoning and responsibility in sport contests and communities, and virtue ethics in sport. Dr. Hager has previously co-authored articles in Journal of the Philosophy of Sport and Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance with Dr. Cesar R. Torres, his Brockport colleague.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: The Ethics of Sports
Chapter 2: Theories of Sport: Frameworks for Evaluation
Chapter 3: Ethics in Competition: Cheating, Good Sports and Tainted Victories
Chapter 4: Drugs, Genes, and Enhancing Performance in Sports
Chapter 5: Gender Equity in Sport
Chapter 6: Sports on Campus: Intercollegiate Athletics and Their Critics
Chapter 7: The Commercialization of Sport: Marketing and Corruption in Competitive Athletics
Chapter 8: Sports, Moral Education, and Social Responsibility