  A philosophical analysis of the nature, attraction, and limits of sport  Randolph Feezell's Sport, Play, and Ethical Reflection immediately tackles two big questions about sport: "What is it?" and "Why does it attract so many people?" He argues that sports participation is best described as a form of human play, and the attraction for participants and viewers alike derives from both to its aesthetic richness and narrative structure. He then claims that the way in which sports encourage serious competition in trivial pursuits is fundamentally absurd, and therefore participation requires a state of irony in the participants, where seriousness and playfulness are combined.  Feezell builds on these conclusions, addressing important ethical issues, arguing that sportsmanship should be seen as a kind of Aristotelian mean between the extremes of over and under investment in sport. Chapters on cheating, running up the score, and character-building stress sport as a rule-governed, tradition-bound practice with standards of excellence and goods internal to the practice. With clear writing and numerous illuminating examples, Feezell demonstrates deep insight into both of his subjects.

Sport, Play, and Ethical Reflection

Feezell, Randolph

Sports & Outdoors

University of Illinois Press

Feezell argues that sports participation is best described as a form of human play, &amp; the attraction for participants &amp; viewers alike derives from both its aesthetic richness &amp; narrative structure. He goes on to discuss the ethics of sport in detail.

There’s more to sports than the ethos of competition, entertainment, and commercialism expressed in popular media and discourse. Sport, Philosophy, and Good Lives discusses sport in the context of several traditional philosophical questions, including: What is a good human life and how does sport factor into it? To whom do we look for ethical guidance? What makes human activities or projects meaningful? Randolph Feezell examines these questions along with other relevant topics in the philosophy of sport such as the contribution of play to a meaningful life, the various reasons for pessimistic views of sport, the various claims that celebrated athletes are role models, and the seldom-questioned view that coaches are in a position to offer advice to athletes on how to live or on leadership skills. He also discusses the way that non-Western attitudes found in Buddhism, Taoism, and the Bhagavad Gita might be used to address the vulnerabilities of sports participants. 
Feezell draws from current sports issues, popular literature, and contemporary sports figures to shed light on the attraction and value of sports and examine the accompanying ethical issues.

Sport, Philosophy, and Good Lives

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

University Of Nebraska Press

Faith, Freedom, And Value: Introductory Philosophical Dialogues;Introductory Philosophical Dialogues

Westview Press

Faith, Freedom, And Value: Introductory Philosophical Dialogues

Coaching for Character provides coaches with a valuable tool to help them understand the basic principles of sportsmanship, the justification of these principles, and how to teach their players to understand and apply them. By applying the understanding of sportsmanship explained in the book, coaches will create more disciplined and coachable individual athletes and teams. And, more important, they will help young athletes develop the character and perspective that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Combining years of coaching and teaching experience, Clifford and Feezell provide clear guidelines to help coaches teach their players respect for
- opponents, - teammates and team, - officials, - coaches, and - the rules and traditions of the game.
With proper respect, athletes are more likely to compete fairly and fully, to sacrifice in order to achieve individual and team goals, and to develop attitudes that make them enjoyable to coach.
Coaches' responsibilities as models and educators are brought to life through real situations that confront them on and off the field. The authors provide numerous questions that help readers to become more reflective about sport. The book also urges coaches and athletes to strive for a healthy balance between the playful side of sport and the seriousness of competition.
By using Coaching for Character's special suggestions for teaching sportsmanship, coaches will find new ways to reach their athletes—without preaching or sacrificing practice time that could be spent on developing the physical skills, conditioning, and mental strategies that are also essential to athletic success.
Clifford and Feezell demonstrate that sportsmanship doesn't get in the way of genuine competition—that a commitment to sportmanship comes from an understanding of the nature of competition.

Coaching for Character: Reclaiming the Principles of Sportsmanship

Reference

Clifford, Craig

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

Human Kinetics

Playing Games: An introduction to the philosophy of sport through dialogue

What is sport? Why does sport matter? How can we use philosophy to understand what sport means today? This engaging and highly original introduction to the philosophy of sport uses dialogue – a form of philosophical investigation – to address the fundamental questions in sport studies and to explore key contemporary issues such as fair play, gender, drug use, cheating, entertainment and identity.  Providing a clear, informative and accessible introduction to the philosophy of sport, every chapter includes current sporting examples as well as review questions and guides to further reading. The dialogue form enables students to engage in debate and raise questions, while encouraging them to think from the perspectives of athlete, coach, spectator and philosopher. The issues raised present real and complex ethical dilemmas that relate to a variety of sports from around the world such as soccer, athletics, baseball, basketball, hockey and tennis.  No other book brings this rich subject to life through the use of dialogue, making this an indispensable companion to any course on the philosophy or ethics of sport.

Playing Games

Routledge

What is sport? Why does sport matter? How can we use philosophy to understand what sport means today? This engaging and highly original introduction to the philosophy of sport uses dialogue – a form of philosophical investigation – to address the fundamental questions in sport studies and to explore key contemporary issues such as fair play, gender, drug use, cheating, entertainment and identity. Providing a clear, informative and accessible introduction to the philosophy of sport, every chapter includes current sporting examples as well as review questions and guides to further reading. The dialogue form enables students to engage in debate and raise questions, while encouraging them to think from the perspectives of athlete, coach, spectator and philosopher. The issues raised present real and complex ethical dilemmas that relate to a variety of sports from around the world such as soccer, athletics, baseball, basketball, hockey and tennis. No other book brings this rich subject to life through the use of dialogue, making this an indispensable companion to any course on the philosophy or ethics of sport.

Truth and Religious Belief

This book contains a thorough and balanced series of dialogues introducing key topics in philosophy of religion, such as: the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, religious pluralism, the nature of religious experience, immortality, and the meaning of life. A realistic cast of characters in a natural setting engages in a series of thought-provoking conversations; the dialogue format of these conversations captures typical student attitudes and questions concerning religious belief; allows comparison of important themes throughout the dialogues; encourages the interjection of insights, observations, questions, and objections; and introduces related points when they would naturally arise, instead of relegating them to a later chapter. As well as presenting a detailed and probing discussion, each dialogue includes a list of key terms, a set of study questions, and a bibliography - all of which make this an excellent text for courses in philosophy of religion and introductory philosophy classes.

Truth and Religious Belief: Philosophical Reflections on Philosophy of Religion

Sweetman, Brendan

Hancock, Curtis L.

Beyond the Fields is a story about a path from wheat fields to baseball fields to a philosophical life fascinated by a relatively new, non-traditional field of inquiry: philosophy of sport. The book moves from dirt and land and playworlds to a world dominated by ideas and arguments.

Beyond the Fields: A Cherokee Strip Farm, a Baseball Life, and the Love of Wisdom

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Lamar University Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Feezell, Randolph. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Feezell, Randolph

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Feezell, Randolph. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Sport, Play, and Ethical Reflection

Sport, Play, and Ethical Reflection

Sport, Philosophy, and Good Lives

Faith, Freedom, And Value: Introductory Philosophical Dialogues;Introductory Philosophical Dialogues

Faith, Freedom, And Value: Introductory Philosophical Dialogues

Coaching for Character: Reclaiming the Principles of Sportsmanship

Playing Games

Playing Games: An introduction to the philosophy of sport through dialogue

Truth and Religious Belief: Philosophical Reflections on Philosophy of Religion

Beyond the Fields: A Cherokee Strip Farm, a Baseball Life, and the Love of Wisdom