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This interdisciplinary collection explores the nexus of social justice and sport to consider how sport and physical education can serve as a unique point of commonality in an era of religious, political, economic, and cultural polarity. Originally published as a special issue of Quest, Sport, Physical Education, and Social Justice offers timely theoretical perspectives from the fields of theology, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The volume demonstrates the multiple ways in which sport can be used to overcome inequalities and marginalization relating to gender, race, disability, religion, and sexuality, and posits sports education as a powerful mechanism for addressing school-based issues including bullying, racism, and citizenship education. Truly international in scope, the text includes contributions from scholars addressing issues in both formal and informal sports education settings, communities, and locales. Sport, Physical Education, and Social Justice will be of interest to researchers, scholars, policy makers, and advocates in the fields of education, psychology, sociology, and religious studies.

The study of sport is characterised by its inter-disciplinarity, with researchers drawing on apparently incompatible research traditions and ethical benchmarks in the natural sciences and the social sciences, depending on their area of specialisation. In this groundbreaking study, Graham McFee argues that sound high-level research into sport requires a sound rationale for one’s methodological choices, and that such a rationale requires an understanding of the connection between the practicalities of researching sport and the philosophical assumptions which underpin them. By examining touchstone principles in research methodology, such as the contested ‘gold standard’ of voluntary informed consent in the natural sciences and the postmodern denial of ‘truth’ in the social sciences, McFee demonstrates that epistemology and ethics are inextricably linked. Drawing on a wide range of examples, from the laboratory to the sports field, McFee explores the concepts of ‘knowledge’ and ‘truth’ in sports research and makes a powerful case for a philosophical deepening of our approach to method and methodology in sport. This book is important reading for all advanced students and researchers working in sport, exercise and related disciplines. Preface Part 1: Overview Chapter 1. A Vision of the Epistemology and Ethics of Qualitative Research Into Sport Part 2: The Nature of Qualitative Research Chapter 2. Research Must Answer its Question: Research as Erotetic Chapter 3. The Idea of the ‘Qualitative’ is not so Helpful Part 3: The Place of Truth Chapter 4. Research Must Aim at Truth Chapter 5. Scientism is a Bad Model of Truth (and Natural Science) Chapter 6. Postmodernism and Truth-Denial as a Kind of Scientism Chapter 7. Truth-Denial is Not Just a Style of Writing Part 4: Ethics for Research Chapter 8. Voluntary Informed Consent is Not a Gold Standard Chapter 9. Covert Research into Sport can be Ethical Chapter 10. The Researcher is Not the Research Subject Part 5: Conclusion (and Appendix) Chapter 11. In Summary. Appendix: Considerations of Exceptionlessness in Philosophy. Bibliography Graham McFee is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Brighton and at California State University Fullerton. He was Vice President of the British Society of Aesthetics. He has written and presented extensively, both nationally and internationally, on the philosophy of Wittgenstein and on aesthetics, especially the aesthetics of dance.

There are a broad variety of sex and gender resonances in sport, from the clash of traditional ideas of femininity and athleticism represented by female athletes, to the culture of homophobia in mainstream male sport. Despite the many sociological and cultural volumes addressing these subjects, this collection is the first to focus on the philosophical writings that they have inspired. The editors have selected twelve of the most thought-provoking philosophical articles on these subjects from the past thirty years, to create a valuable and much needed resource. Written by established experts from all over the world, the essays in this collection cover four major themes: sport and the construction of the female objectification and the sexualization of sport homophobia sex boundaries: obstruction, naturalization and opposition. The book gathers a broad range of philosophical viewpoints on gender in sport into one unique source, subjecting the philosophical origins and characteristics of some of the most controversial topics in sport to rigorous scrutiny. With a balance of male and female contributors from both sides of the Atlantic, and a comprehensive introduction and postscript to contextualize the source material, Philosophical Perspectives on Gender in Sport and Physical Activity is essential reading for all students of the philosophy of sport, sport and gender, and feminist philosophy. Paul Davis is a teaching fellow at the University of Abertay, Dundee. He has had numerous articles published in the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport , as well as having written an introductory text on metaethics. His background is in philosophy, including philosophy of sport. Charlene Weaving is an assistant professor in the human kinetics department at St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia. She teaches gender and sport, Canadian sport history, qualitative research methods and an advanced Olympic Games course. Her current research interests include philosophical analysis of gender, sport, and sexuality. Dedication. Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. Part 1: Sport and the Construction of the Female Chapter 1. The Exclusion of Women From Sport: Conceptual and Existential Dimensions Chapter 2. Woman as Body: Ancient and Contemporary Views Chapter 3. The Philosophy of ‘Woman’ Versus the Ideal Athlete Part 2: Objectification Chapter 4. Sexualization and Sexuality in Sport Chapter 5: Mere and Partial Means: The Full Range of the Objectification of Women Chapter 6. Unraveling the Ideological Concept of The Female Athlete: A Connection between Sex and Sport Part 3 Sex Boundaries: Construction, Naturalisation, and Opposition Chapter 7. Men With Breasts Chapter 8. The Doping Ban: Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbophobia Chapter 9. What Would Happen if a ‘Woman’ Outpaced the Winner of the Gold Medal in the ‘Men’s’ One Hundred Meters? Female Sport, Drugs, and the Transgressive Cyborg Body Part 4: Homophobia Chapter 10. Focus on the \"Muscle Moll\" to the \"Butch\" Ballplayer: Mannishness, Lesbianism, and Homophobia in U.S. Women’s Sports Chapter 11. Outta My Endzone: Sport and the Territorial Anus Chapter 12. Openly Gay Athletes: Contesting Hegemonic Masculinity in a Homophobic Environment. Postscript

Do we watch sport for pure dumb entertainment? While some people might do so, Stephen Mumford argues that it can be watched in other ways. Sport can be both a subject of high aesthetic values and a valid source for our moral education. The philosophy of sport has tended to focus on participation, but this book instead examines the philosophical issues around watching sport. Far from being a passive experience, we can all shape the way that we see sport. Delving into parallels with art and theatre, this book outlines the aesthetic qualities of sport from the incidental beauty of a well-executed football pass to the enshrined artistic interpretation in performed sports such as ice-skating and gymnastics. It is argued that the purist literally sees sport in a different way from the partisan, thus the aesthetic perception of the purist can be validated. The book moves on to examine the moral lessons that are to be learned from watching sport, depicting it as a contest of virtues. The morality of sport is demonstrated to be continuous with, rather than separate from, the morality in wider life, and so each can inform the other. Watching sport is then recognized as a focus of profound emotional experiences. Collective emotion is particularly considered alongside the nature of allegiance. Finally, Mumford considers why we care about sport at all. Addressing universal themes, this book will appeal to a broad audience across philosophical disciplines and sports studies.

This book raises critical questions about the explanatory framework guiding sports coaching research and presents a new conceptualization for research in the field. Through mapping and contextualizing sports coaching research within a corporatized higher education, the dominant or legitimate forms of sports coaching knowledge are problematized and a new vision of the field, which is socially and culturally responsive, communitarian and justice-oriented emerges.

The global health and fitness industry is worth an estimated $4 trillion. We spend $90 billion each year on health club memberships and $100 billion each year on dietary supplements. In such an industrial climate, lax regulations on the products we are sold (supplements, fad-diets, training programs, gadgets, and garments) result in marketing campaigns underpinned by strong claims and weak evidence. Moreover, our critical faculties are ill-suited to a culture characterized by fake news, social media, misinformation, and bad science. We have become walking, talking prey to 21st-century Snake Oil salesmen. In The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science, Nicholas B. Tiller confronts the claims behind the products and the evidence behind the claims. The author discusses what might be wrong with the sales pitch, the glossy magazine advert, and the celebrity endorsements that our heuristically wired brains find so innately attractive. Tiller also explores the appeal of the one quick fix, the fallacious arguments that are a mainstay of product advertising, and the critical steps we must take in retraining our minds to navigate the pitfalls of the modern consumerist culture. This informative and accessible volume pulls no punches in scrutinizing the plausibility of, and evidence for, the most popular sports products and practices on the market. Readers are encouraged to confront their conceptualizations of the industry and, by the book's end, they will have acquired the skills necessary to independently judge the effectiveness of sports-related products. This treatise on the commercialization of science in sport and exercise is a must-read for exercisers, athletes, students, and practitioners who hope to retain their intellectual integrity in a lucrative health and fitness industry that is spiraling out of control.

Philosophy and the Sciences of Exercise, Health and Sport is a unique interdisciplinary study that calls on researchers in these disciplines to reflect more critically on the nature and aims of scientific enquiry. In doing so, the book questions the underlying assumptions and development of science itself. Written by a range of internationally respected philosophers, scientists and social scientists, each chapter addresses a key issue in research methodology. Questions asked by the authors include: Do natural and social scientists need to understand the philosophy of science? Are statistics misused in sport and exercise science research? Is sport science research gender-biased? How do external and commercial interests skew professional guidelines in health and sport reserach? Should scientists focus their attention on confirmation of theories, or on attempts to falsify them? Philosophy and the Sciences of Exercise, Health and Sport serves notice to exercise, health and sport researchers to think more philosophically about their subject and its scientific bases. It is essential reading for postgraduate researchers seeking to establish a sound theoretical foundation for their work. Mike McNamee is Reader in Philosophy at the Centre for Philosophy, Humanities and Law in Health Care at the University of Wales, Swansea, UK. He is also co-editor of the Routledge series Ethics and Sport . 1. Positivism, Popper and Paradigms: An introductory essay 2. Must scientists think philosophically about science? 3. Can physiology be Popperian and Ethical? 4. How does a 'foundational myth' become sacred and scientific dogma? The case of AV Hill and the 'anaerobiosis controversy'. 5. Why doesn't sports psychology consider Freud? 6. Do statistical methods replace reasoning in exercise science research? 7. What are the limitations of experimental and theoretical approaches in sports biomechanics? 8. Can we trust rehydration research? 9. Is sport and exercise science a man's game? 10. Autoethnography: Self-indulgence or rigorous methodology? 11. Is investigative sociology just investigative journalism? 12. Is research with and on students ethically defensible? Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Metabolic Syndrome: What are the choices for prevention in the 21st century?

Is the role of the sports coach simply to improve sporting performance? What are the key ethical issues in sports coaching practice? Despite the increasing sophistication of our understanding of the player-sport-coach relationship, the dominant perspective of the sports coach is still an instrumental one, focused almost exclusively on performance, achievement and competitive success. In this ground-breaking new book, leading sport scholars challenge that view, arguing that the coaching process is an inherently moral one with an inescapably ethical dimension, involving intense relationships between players and coaches. The Ethics of Sports Coaching critically examines this moral aspect, develops a powerful idea of what sports coaching ought to be, and argues strongly that coaches must be aware of the ethical implications of their acts. The book is structured around four central themes: the nature of coaching, the character of the coach, coaching specific populations and specific coaching contexts. It explores in detail many of the key ethical issues in contemporary sports coaching, including: coaching special populations the ethics of talent identification understanding the limits of performance enhancement coaching dangerous sports expatriate coaching setting professional standards in sports coaching. Combining powerful theoretical positions with clear insights into the everyday realities of sports coaching practice, this is an agenda-setting book. It is essential reading for all students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in sports coaching or the ethics and philosophy of sport. \"...an illuminating collection. Summing up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.\"— CHOICE, D. R. Hochsteller, Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh Valley Part 1: The Nature of Coaching 1. The Normative Aims of Coaching: The Good Coach as an Enlightened Generalist 2. Celebrating Trust: Virtues and Rules in the Ethical Conduct of Sports Coaches Part 2: The Character of the Coach 3. Becoming a Good Coach: Coaching and Phronesis 4. Objectivity and Subjectivity in Coaching 5. Sports Coaching and Virtue Ethics Part 3: Coaching Specific Populations 6. The Moral Ambiguity of Coaching Youth Sport 7. Sport-Smart Persons: A Practical Ethics for Coaching Young Athletes 8. Males Coaching Female Athletes 9. Coaching Ethics and Paralympic Sports Part 4: Coaching in Context: Contemporary Ethical Issues 10. Coaching and the Ethics of Youth Talent Identification: Rethinking Luck and Justice 11. Coaching and the Ethics of Performance Enhancement 12. Ethical Issues in Coaching Dangerous Sports 13. A Defense of Expatriate Coaching in Sport Alun R. Hardman is Senior Lecturer and Discipline Director in the socio-cultural aspects of sport at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff. His academic focus is on the philosophy of sport and physical education, with particular interests in the area of applied sports ethics and how change and its moral implications impact upon sporting practices and their communities. Carwyn Jones is Reader in Sports Ethics at the Cardiff School of Sport, UWIC. He has published widely in the area of sports ethics in both peer-reviewed journals and books. His particular expertise is fostering and developing moral virtue through sport and the role of the pedagogue therein.

Play is a vital component of the social life and well-being of both children and adults. This book examines the concept of play and considers a variety of the related philosophical issues. It also includes meta-analyses from a range of philosophers and theorists, as well as an exploration of some key applied ethical considerations. The main objective of The Philosophy of Play is to provide a richer understanding of the concept and nature of play and its relation to human life and values, and to build disciplinary and paradigmatic bridges between scholars of philosophy and scholars of play. Including specific chapters dedicated to children and play, and exploring the work of key thinkers such as Plato, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Gadamer, Deleuze and Nietzsche, this book is invaluable reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner with an interest in education, playwork, leisure studies, applied ethics or the philosophy of sport.

Does competitive sport respect children's human rights? Is intensive training child labour? Is competitive stress a form of child abuse? The human rights of children have been recognized in the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and ratified by 192 countries. Paulo David's work makes it clear, however, that too often competitive sport fails to recognize the value of respect for international child rights norms and standards. Human Rights in Youth Sport offers critical analysis of some very real problems within youth sport and argues that the future development of sport depends on the creation of a child-centred sport system. Areas of particular concern include issues of: over-training physical, emotional and sexual abuse doping and medical ethics education child labour accountability of governments, sports federations, coaches and parents. The text will be essential reading for anybody with an interest in the ethics of sport, youth sport, coaching and sports development. Part 1. The Conceptual Frame Part 2. In the best interests of the child? Part 3. Abuse and violence: the integrity of the child athlete Part 4. The economics of sports and its impact on the rights of young athletes Part 5. Empowering young athletes Part 6. It's just a game? responsibilities of adults Part 7. Reversing trends: human rights as a powerful tool