Nationalism and Sports

We probably won't have time to watch, but these are interesting lectures about nationalism and sports:

PART I
PART II

The speaker is Oren Starn, an anthropologist at Duke University.

Value of Sport

What makes sport/games valuable (or not)?

1. Achievement (Hurka)
2. Play (Tasioulas)
3. Teamwork (debate: Boxill vs. Ryall)
4. Developing character (but Idaho study suggests otherwise)

Idaho study (Sharon Stoll and colleagues and students, 30 years of research)

Center for Ethics

HBVCI Survey

Results
Powerpoint 

• slides 6-10
• more on gender: slides 24-25

Article

Survey you took (4 fake questions + 12 real questions, vs. 21 on original survey) 

• How to score (first read disclaimers below)
• you are not a research subject 
• we are not assuming the survey accurately tests moral character
• the survey is a basis for discussion

What are the ethical assumptions behind the study?  The paragraphs below are from this webpage (scroll down).

The HBVCI is based on three of these universal codes of conduct: honesty, responsibility, and justice. Using deontic theory, definitions for honesty, responsibility, and justice were developed. 

For the HBVCI: 

Honesty is defined as the condition or capacity of being trustworthy or truthful. Honesty, in this sense, is a basic character that society espouses - an ideal of moral development...to be honest in thought, word, or deed. Honesty, therefore, is the code of conduct which takes into consideration lying, cheating, and stealing, and refers to the honest person as one who follows the rules and laws. 

Responsibility is defined as accounting for one's actions in the past, present, and future. We are responsible for our acts, if, and only if, we did the act or caused it to occur. A responsible person is morally accountable and capable or rational conduct.

Justice is defined as an equity or fairness for treating peers or competitors equally. Justice is the quality of being righteous or of dealing justly with others. It is based in the integrity of doing the right or fair act.

Is this the right sort of ethics for sport?

• We will be looking at that in the next unit of this class
• But first--value of sport for fans 

Background for "The Ethics of Walking in Cricket"

This reading, by Anthony McGowan, introduces many approaches to ethics by asking what they would say about the ethics of walking in cricket.  But what is walking in cricket?  





Walking in cricket
The scenario McGowan discusses is this: you're the batsman (or woman) and the bowler bowls the ball.  It just slightly hits the edge of your bat and gets caught by the wicket keeper (pause at 1:22 to picture this).  You're out and therefore (maybe) you should walk off the pitch.  But nobody knows it but you!  The umpire didn't see it.  Do you have to admit you're out and walk off the pitch?

 

Other cases of "self-refereeing"
The Idaho survey presented similar scenarios.

• A soccer player broke the rules by tapping the ball with his hand, but the referee didn't see. Should he report himself?
• A volleyball player just barely taps a ball that then falls out of bounds, but the referee didn't see. Should she report herself?

Is there a duty to self-referee?

This is the question raised in all of the scenarios. The McGowan article looks at what major figures in the history of ethics might say.

The Value of Sport: Teamwork

Jan Boxill--in praise of teamwork
Article
Her example: rowing





Emily Ryall--teamwork is neutral (sometimes good, sometimes bad)
Article
Her example: domestiques in road racing

Play and the Value of Games/Sports

Games that aren't valuable on the achievement/difficulty account (Hurka) 

1. Games of pure chance

"The presence of luck seems to be a valuable feature of many games despite having nothing to do with striving and achievement, and everything to do with the thrill of surrendering to fate and delighting in good fortune." (Tasioulas p. 241)

 2. Stupid games

• name and examples are from "Games and the art of agency" by C. Thi Nguyen
• in a stupid game, you strive to win, but the fun is when you fail
• examples: Telephone (Whisper Down the Alley), Bag on Your Head, Twister, drinking games*, maybe charades

* Disclaimer: discussion doesn't imply approval!

The Value of Sport

Some basic value distinctions

• apply to wealth
• apply to injury

What is the value of games/sport?

• Hurka's view (read p. 217)
• Suits's definition (reduced to 3 elements)
• Because of the obstacles, sports are difficult 
• Difficulty adds to life
• Sports and the 5 distinctions--what is he saying?

But why do sports, as difficult activities, add to life?

#1 The achievement argument

1.      Sports are difficult activities

2.    Doing difficult things is an achievement.

3.    Achievement adds to personal well-being.  
     THEREFORE,

4.    Sports add to personal well-being.

Why does achievement add to personal well-being?

#2 The Experience Machine argument

1.   Life is bad in the experience machine.

2. So specific life goods must be missing in the experience machine.

3.   One thing missing is “rational connection to reality”

4.   Achievement in sports gives you connection to reality. 
     THEREFORE,

5.   Achievement in sports is a life good.

#3 Which sports add the most to life?

• High difficulty vs. low difficulty
• Rock, paper, scissors
• Surfing in winter in Iceland

#4  Which sports add most to life?

• Compare types of knowledge
• Jeopardy knowledge

• Medical knowledge--hierarchical integration 

• What's the sports equivalent of Jeopardy knowledge? Example?
• What's the sports equivalent of medical knowledge? Example?
• What does he say about weight lifting and boxing?

Endnotes

1. Here's what an ESPN panel of experts said about the difficulty of various sports.
2. The Aaron Hernandez documentary is on Netflix.  
3. Under an Arctic Sky is the documentary about skiing in Iceland.