Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is a broad concept: ethics, fairness, honor and self-control. Some people find it difficult to define what makes a “good sport,” but state “I know one when I see one.” This collection of new essays brings together the work of more than two dozen contributors from around the world who teach sportsmanship in a range of academic disciplines including sociology, psychology, economics, education, kinesiology and applied athletics. Topics include the moral ambiguities of cheating; recreation in prison; ethics and character formation; coaching perspectives; gender; race; and the portrayal of sportsmanship in film.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Tim Delaney is a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Oswego. He teaches environmental sociology classes and is a member of SUNY Oswego’s sustainability studies program. He lives in Auburn, New York.

Edited by Tim Delaney

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 300
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9803-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2380-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments iv

Introduction 1

Part A: Good Sportsmanship and Poor Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship: A Sociological Perspective (Tim Delaney) 7

Being a Poor Sport (Verner Møller) 21

Understanding Doping as “Cheating” from the Perspective of History (Ian Ritchie) 31

Cheating in Sport: Its Meanings and Moral Ambiguities (Danny Rosenberg) 42

Sports, Leisure and Recreation in Prison (Tim Delaney) 53

Ethics and Character Formation in Sports: A Philosophical Perspective (Tim Madigan) 66

Part B: Learning About Sportsmanship

Sport Participation and Sportsmanship in Youth Sport (Tanyika Mobley) 77

Emphasizing Sportsmanship in Youth Sport (Todd Harrison) 87

Sportsmanship and Cognitive Psychology (Stephen A. Wurst) 100

Sportsmanship Case Study: Reaching for Team Selection in High Performance Sport at the Price of Sportsmanship (Cíara Losty) 109

Ideals of Sportsmanship Throughout History (Seán Moran) 118

Amateurism and Professionalism: Sportsmanship and the Irish (Jean McArdle) 130

Warrior, Patriot, Statesman: Irish Sportsmanship and Irish Identity (Denis Brennan) 141

A Coaching Perspective on Sportsmanship (Christopher Parks) 153

Sportsmanship from a Referee’s Perspective: A Case Study of Four Sports (Tom Webb and Mike Rayner) 162

Francis Ouimet and Sportsmanship in Golf (Chris Mack) 173

Trust and Training: Sparring Norms and Sportsmanship Among Brazilian ­Ju-Jitsu Practitioners (Rick A. Matthews and Stephen Lyng) 185

Part C: Sportsmanship and Social Institutions

Man Up? Gender and Sportsmanship On and Off the Field (Evelyn A. Clark) 199

The Economics of Sportsmanship (Clair Smith) 212

Sportsmanship in Question: The Impact of Professionalism and Commercialization on the Ethos of Sport (Barry Smart) 222

Race, Sports and Poor Sportsmanship (Earl Smith and Angela J. Hattery) 234

Sportsmanship and Sports Journalism (Brian Moritz) 245

Football on Film: The Portrayal of Sportsmanship (Laura Finnegan and Jean McArdle) 255

Part D: Sportsmanship and Its Role in Sports in the Future

The Future of Sportsmanship: A Narrative Expression of ­In-Group Support and Respect in the Postmodern Sport of Mountain Biking (Kieren McEwan) 269

Sportsmanship and the Future: Parting Thoughts (Tim Delaney) 281

About the Contributors 287

Index 289

• Tthe volume smartly addresses an underlying, fundamental aspect of modern sports that has largely gone unnoticed. This is a significant contribution to the field of sports sociology and a comprehensive resource for future scholars interested in this topic. Highly recommended”—Choice
• “Excellent…highly recommend…. I commend McFarland for publishing this much needed book”—AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature