Course Description:
A study of moral issues in sports, including but not limited to the nature and application of sportsmanship, the prohibition of performance enhancing drugs, ethical issues in the economics of sports, the role of violence, and fandom. Prerequisite(s): ENG 102, 105, or 108 with C or better; minimum 25 hours; Credit is allowed for only PHI 370 or PHI 394 (Sports Ethics)
Readings:
Almost all the readings in the course are drawn from the philosophy of sport literature: articles published in The Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, Sports, Ethics, and Philosophy, and other leading philosophy journals.
Topics:
Each semester is a little different, but generally we start with a discussion of what sport is and why it is worth studying. The following is a listing of the kind of questions/topics the courses often addresses (but not always!):
- What is Sportsmanship?
- Is it ethical to run up the score?
- Is it wrong to foul?
- Is trash-talking morally acceptable?
- Should performance-enhancing drugs be banned?
- Is MMA Immoral?
- Can playing dangerous sports be morally justified?
- Are playoffs fair?
- Is tanking ever okay?
- Is being a fan moral?
- Is Fantasy Sport good for sports
For current ASU offerings: https://catalog.apps.asu.edu/catalog/classes
This course is one of the core courses for ASU’s Sports, Cultures and Ethics certificate.
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The Sports Ethicist 