A Philosophy of Sport
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Paper 3: A Philosophy of Sport
Philosophy 3313: Sports Ethics and the Philosophy of Sport
Please write an academic paper in response to one of the following prompts, or on a topic of your own choosing (which
you have discussed with me in advance):
1. Explain the relationship between rules and winning in sport, according to Connor. What does Connor’s
philosophy of sport have to say about cheating?
2. Explain the relationship between continuity and discontinuity in sport, according to Connor. What does
Connor’s philosophy of sport have to say about movement?
3. Connor notes early in the book that “disabled sports are the only kind there are” (p. 18). What does he
mean? And how is this idea related to Connor’s understanding of the role equipment plays in sport?
Be sure to address yourself not only to answering the question, but also to providing your reader with an account of why
you believe your answer to be correct. What are your reasons for understanding A Philosophy of Sport in the way you do?
In order to justify the claims in your paper to your reader, you must offer substantiation for your claims with quotations from the text. Quotations are absolutely required; papers that do not use direct quotations from Connor’s A Philosophy of Sport to support the claims they make will receive a failing grade.
Please do not consult any sources or resources other than Connor’s A Philosophy of Sport. Papers that cite from other sources will not be acceptable; papers that rely significantly on other sources without citation will be considered plagiarism. Any paper that quotes from a source other than the texts assigned for class, or which can be shown to be reliant upon a source other than those texts, will receive a failing grade and its author will be subject to the appropriate
disciplinary procedures, detailed in the Academic Honesty Policy (available online, or in Student
Handbook). Please note: “a source other than those texts” includes anything not written by Connor in any copy, edition, or translation of his writings, such as editor’s and translator’s introductions, forewords, afterwords, epilogues, and notes.
The paper should be 5-to-6 pages long, typed and double-spaced. Use an 11- or 12-point font with reasonable margins.
Citations should be in either the MLA or Chicago Manual of Style formats (information on both of which is available on information for both texts in either a “works cited” (MLA) or bibliographical footnotes (Chicago). Quotations should be set off from the rest of the paper (typically by quotation marks), and you must cite the page numbers in the relevant text where the quoted passage appears.
SAMPLE ANSWER
A Philosophy of Sport
Question 1
The philosophy of sports is a field that is based on three key issues. To begin with, most philosophers focusing on various team games aim at presenting a detailed description of sports with reference to the main rules and principle. This aids in the demarcation of such activities from related social engagements. Moreover, some theorists consider sports as a self-directed ethical universe that is parallel to the broader moral space. However, this space has noteworthy concerns on integrity. Another key issue included in the fundamental philosophy of sports entails the artistic aspect of sports. This includes the integrated apparel. However, in A Philosophy of Sports, Stephen Connor avoids these philosophies by arguing that such discussions present sports symbolically. In order to substantiate this argument, he asserts that such philosophers use certain principles outside the sporting context to evaluate values and proceedings governing various sporting activities. by presenting his ideologies through a unique experience within the sporting context, Connor effectively evaluates such relevant categories as time and space from a perspective of the participants and observers. The concepts integrated in Connor’s A Philosophy of Sports is the basis of this discussion (Connor 213). By highlighting the embedded relationship between rules and winning in sports, this paper will present Connor’s arguments regarding cheating in an athletic arena. Subsequently, it will be easy to understand the principles associated with moral objections in various scenarios within a sporting arena. This is mainly because of the weightiness of winning in any game.
Based on Connor’s philosophy, the key function of rules is to establish sporting events by presenting the relevant goals, acceptable acts, and methods of winning. For this reason, the principles and rules defining various sports are ruthless as compared to the regulatory laws. This is mainly because a participant who disrespects the stipulated rules and principles of a particular game suffers the anguish of self-contradiction. Among these rules that cause substantial agony is the unstipulated principle that requires all participants to attempt to win. Theoretically, the rules governing any sporting activity provide an effective approach of converting the actions of an event into quantifiable and objective activities (Connor 218). This brings in a fresh perspective regarding the eventualities of sports. Sport-related restrictions naturally contribute to probability evaluations, statistical analysis, and gambling.
Furthermore, based on the principles and arguments presented by Connor in A Philosophy of Sports, winning revolves around the broad subject of competition. Connor indicates that one of the key paradoxes embedded in this subject matter with reference to the contemporary perspective of sports entails the argument that participants of various sporting activities ought to show the weightiness of the expected outcome (Connor 204). Despite its decisive nature, the weighty nature of winning is not manifested brutally in the contemporary sport setting. Nonetheless, Connor indicates the existence of rough treatment in modern sporting activities. This enhances the relationship between competition and violence in different contemporary games. Moreover, as part of his speculations regarding the outlook of various sports, this philosopher highlights the possibility of a gradual suppression of competitions governed by certain strict rules and principles. This is bound to result in certain encounters that promote “the nonhuman world of things and forces” as observed in extreme sports (Connor 210).
Similarly, by highlighting the existing relationship between rules and winning in sporting activities, the philosopher in question indicates that the principles governing such actions have changed significantly over the years. Despite the unstipulated rule of using all acceptable means to win, the contemporary sporting arena does not exhibit intense competition. However, participants have a way of manipulating the existing principles in order to acquire desirable outcomes within the legal framework (Connor 189). This is an indication of the transformations that have occurred in the sorting arena in the recent past with respect to the rules governing such activities.
In addition to the stipulated relationship between rules and winning in sports, Connor presents a detailed discussion regarding the violation of basic ethical principles with reference to the adherence of the set rules. In such scenarios, the moral values and principles play a crucial role in identifying the acceptable practices. This is mainly because sports and other related social engagements are an integral part of our daily lives. In line with our social norms and beliefs, there are certain situations where disregarding the stipulated rules is allowed. For instance, in football, committing a professional foul is often morally acceptable. In addition, after a competitive basketball game, the participants deliberately commit professional fouls as both parties evaluate the penalties of such an offense against the price of permitting their opponents to win (Connor 213). The principles and rules of such a game specify penalties and breaches, with the penalties being worth the risk in certain scenarios. Similarly, in soccer, a punishment based on the referee’s judgment may be harsher if the foul is deliberate as compared to an accidental foul. However, if the participant’s act is not hazardous, there are certain occasions when breaking the set rules are ethical. This is in line with the participants’ duty of considering the benefits of their team and supporters.
Based on Connor’s philosophical perspective, breaking the set rules often attracts moral criticism during two key occasions. This includes situations where there is a possibility of the participants and supporters being harmed or occasions indicating the intent to deceive. The initial situation often occurs in key physical sports with the latter scenario being observable in all gaming activities through cheating. Sometimes, cheating does not involve the aspect of lying. For instance, it is possible for card players to cheat by sharing certain crucial information with other participants. Moreover, athletes often take drugs aimed at enhancing their performance (Connor 202). Such sports persons may lie when challenges, an aspect that may be considered as an aggravation of the offense. Nonetheless, based on Connor’s argument, there exists a significant moral objection to such an act and the embedded lie. This philosopher argues that the actual moral concern occurs when the cheating participants sabotage the game by failing to take the sporting activity seriously. Connor indicates that when Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing medications prior to a cycling event, the key moral issue was the fact that the contest lost its purpose as opposed to the disobedience of the rules regarding taking such drugs and lying about the act. The main purpose of a typical game is to identify the best competitors. Cheating is the key aspect that makes it difficult to attain this objective. Connor substantiates this argument by asserting, “…not an offence in the game but an ontological affront to it” (Connor 178). This assertion indicates that cheating triggers major moral concerns whose justification depends on the outcome of the sporting activity and the resultant benefits on the participants and supporters. This explains why team members evaluate the consequences of disregarding certain rules against the possibility of winning in such a contest.
In conclusion, Connor’s arguments in A Philosophy of Sports regarding the existing relationship between rules and winning are useful on highlighting the ethical aspects in sports. To begin with, stipulated rules in the sporting arena are useful in defining the objectives of a game and quantifying the embedded activities. Furthermore, based on the key ideology of competition, there are numerous tactics that team members often use with the key intent of enhancing their advantage over their opponents. In most cases, this forms the basis for cheating. In such sporting activities, cheating does not always involve lying. The deliberate disobedience of the stipulated rules is often because the participants intend to suppress the opportunities of their opponents to win the contest. This is because the needs and desires of one’s team and supporter may surpass the severity of the penalties associated with such unacceptable acts (Connor 195). In line with Connor’s argument regarding such scenarios, the moral objection of such unacceptable acts and the involved lies depends majorly on the consequences of one’s actions in relation to the team’s possibility of winning. While the stipulated rules in sports aim at defining the objectives and suitable winning methods, there are certain elements of cheating that are morally acceptable owing to the weightiness of winning. This substantiates the existing relationship between rules and winning in different games.
Work Cited
Connor, Steven. A Philosophy of Sport. London, England: Reaktion Books, 2011. Print.
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