Does unity through sport undermine democracy?

In a brilliantly written essay, the author takes us through years of activism by Black athletes. Starting with Carlos and Smith's raised fists in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games through the more recent kneeling by Kaepernick. Most importantly, the author deconstructs the rhetoric around the reactions to these public protests and critiques the frequently alluded unifying attribute of sport.

The essay frames sport as an optimal space for legitimizing rivalry without romanticizing it. Most notorious is the call for sport as a space to preserve contest, not unity. Although the author acknowledges sports' ability to unify, it cautions against using it unquestioningly as a unifying agent at the expense of healthy democratic dissent and the pluralism that defines the United States. Finally, it makes a case for activism in sport, such as disrupting the national anthem, not as a threat to unity, but its illusion. An illusion that is more threatening to democratic health than the activism itself. 

The author mentions the "inside these lines" NFL commercial within the article and commented that an NFL spokesperson stated, “We think this is the single best response to demonstrate what we are about. It stands in stark contrast to someone who practices the politics of division” (Stetler, 2017, as cited in Butterworth, 2020, p. 465). However, later comments this could have been directed either at President Trump or Kaepernick. Who do you think this was directed at? and why? Also, share your thoughts after reading the article. Does unity in sport undermine the pluralistic values necessary for a democratic society? Have the claims for unity attenuated the purposes of the protest/activism?  

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Butterworth, M. L. (2020). Sport and the Quest for Unity: How the Logic of Consensus Undermines Democratic Culture. Communication & Sport, 8(4-5), 452-472. 2167479519900160.

Philosophy & Ethics FriNo

 Philosophy & Ethics

Friday Notes (FriNo) - 9/18/20

Good show today Mattie. If any of you missed it you can find a video above.  Congratulations on a wonderful discussion to all of you who participated. Way to raise the bar. Good luck on the quiz Monday, and I will see everyone Wednesday. Remember we are back in the hybrid format we were using before my children were quarantined by then.   Here are the quick prompts from the discussion today: 

• What are some of the things you noticed about the organization? 
• What is the culture of the organization like? Base your answer on the article as well as other readings from this module. 
• What are the ethical issues the organization is facing? Base your answers on the article a well as other course readings (from this module and before). 
• Can you provide examples of organizations that have faced ethical issues successfully?
• What are some strategic ethical changes for short- and long- term implementation? 

Action items for Monday: 

1. Study for the quiz
2. Take the quiz on blackboard
• You can take it any time Monday

Action items for Wednesday: 

1. Do not forget to show up to class if you are on the face-to-face schedule rotation on Wednesdays!
2. Everyone should read the article and submit a headline assignment on blackboard. I can't wait to hear how you all did. I will be calling everyone's name to hear your headline, so show up ready to "sell that newspaper"!!
3. Noa Crenshaw, you are up for the presentation 

• Goran, L. (2020). A Research on the Fair Play Behaviors of Students Participating in School Sports (The Case of Düzce Province). Asian Journal of Education and Training, 6(3), 356-361.

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Ingerson, L., & Naraine, M. L. (2019). It’s Just Not Cricket: A Case of Ethics, Integrity, and Organizational Culture Within a National Sport Governing Body. Case Studies in Sport Management, 8(S1), S1-S6.

Video assignments with the new YuJa tool

 Hello everyone! If you have not noticed, we have a new tool on blackboard for our videos. It is called YuJa, and it replaced our VoiceThread assignments. Here are the submission instructions for video assignments such as PechaKucha presentations, Mini-docs, recorded presentations, etc. There is also a video below in case you wanna see the steps. 

1. Have your video ready to go (knowing where you saved it is important ;P)
2. Click on the assignment link
3. Click on write assignment
4. Click on mashup
5. Upload your video by clicking browse or dragging your video icon
6. Submit

Have fun creating your videos. I expect great things from you, bring it!

Here is another video on how to upload your video to your A-State YouTube account in case you have trouble with YuJa. That way you can still submit it =)

Philosophy & ethics MoNo 9/14

 Philosophy & Ethics

Monday Notes (MoNo) - 9/14/20

Thrilling chat discussion on zoom today. Thanks to all of you who participated, although for some reason I have the strange feeling that I am talking to myself when I read off the chat. Makeup presentations are scheduled for Monday 9/20/20. If you are planning on a university excused trip that day and you need to make up your presentation you may ask the communication center for help to record it and submit it ahead of time. The video with the short version of the lesson is included above, and here are some questions for you to ponder: 

• Does sport really have a toxic culture? 
• Reflect on your rationale
• What is the main societal source of the gendered roles we see reflected in sport and how can we affect change in that particular source? 
• What are the implications of equality that people often discuss, and the implications you can think of that are less discussed? 
• Are sports and society ready for a change? 
• Are you ready for change? Do you want societal change? Why or why not? 

Action items before next class

1. Complete the alphabet assignment and turn it in on blackboard. 
2. Show up ready to discuss (remember we are meeting on zoom at least until the 25th) 
• Remember your attendance is tied up to your discussion participation and missing 10% drops you a letter grade. Do not miss out because you are unprepared. 
• The assigned reading for Wednesday is Grosset, Y., & Attali, M. (2011). The international institutionalization of sport ethics. Society, 48(6), 517.
3. Princeton presents this Wednesday on Grosset & Attali (2011)
4. Next up is Matti's presentation on Ingerson and Naraine (2019), but that's not until Friday, just giving her and you all a heads up. 

Stay safe and healthy. I will see you on zoom next class <><

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Breger, M. L., Holman, M. J., & Guerrero, M. D. (2019). Re-Norming Sport for Inclusivity: How the Sport Community Has the Potential to Change a Toxic Culture of Harassment and Abuse. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 13(2).

Philosophy & Ethics WeNo 9/2

 Philosophy & Ethics

Wednesday Notes (WeNo) - 9/2/20

Thank you Kentrell, for presenting on ethical codes today... And thank you all for a phenomenal discussion. Here are some of the discussion question highlights for you to ponder: 

• Why is it that diversity is often overlooked in ethical codes? 
• What are some diverse characteristics that go above and beyond what we can see (gender and race)? 

Why does it seem like sport organizations and society, in general, are more reactive than proactive when it comes to solving problems, either addressing diversity or otherwise? 

• Who is involved in creating and enforcing the ethical codes? 
• What happens once a code gets broken by someone high up on the food chain (NFL team owner)?
• Does it seem like athletes are held at a higher standard than everyone else? Why or why not? Describe examples. 

Here are a couple of examples we came up with in class about lax/poorly enforced ethical codes in different sport organizations: 

• FIFA
• NFL
• Redskins
• Patriots

And one that goit pointed out to me today after class in the MLS. Also, one of our international students mentioned in her/his country they are not aware of ethical codes.  It got me thinking, I wonder if there is a need for ethical codes worldwide or it is dependent upon culture (i.e. cultures with widespread ethical codes may not need organizational ones) and if there is already research on the matter. Anyways, something to think about when you are in the whole wide world, making deals, and kicking butt internationally. 

here are a few action items before next class. 

1. Check the updated presentation schedule and prepare yours if you are up. 
2. Go to the library website, find the article for next class, and read it.  The full APA reference information you need to find the article is located in the syllabus, as is the calendar. 
3. Turn in your assignment on blackboard before class. 
4. Come to class (or zoom as assigned) prepared to discuss the article and your assignment. 

If you have been exposed to COVID please let the school know through the self-report tool and join us on zoom. The link is in the content tab on blackboard. 

Stay safe and healthy! See you next class. <><

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De Waegeneer, E., Van De Sompele, J., & Willem, A. (2016). Ethical codes in sports organizations: Classification framework, content analysis, and the influence of content on code effectiveness. Journal of Business Ethics, 136(3), 587-598.

Philosophy & Ethics MoNo 8/31

 Philosophy & Ethics

Monday Notes (MoNo)  - 8/31/20

Thank you all for an energetic and dynamic Monday class and discussion. Special thanks to Halle for a brilliant presentation on Campbell and McNamee (2020) and to Brett for contributing to the discussion about bovine breeding techniques. Both were most enlightening. Here are a few questions to ponder after reading the article: 

• Should testing for "desirable" traits allow parents to select offspring characteristics? or should it be limited to aptitude detection? 
• Are these genetic attitudinal predispositions reliable (can they be trusted)?
• If so, does aiming a child towards their genetic aptitudes benefit them by maximizing their opportunities, or harm them by limiting their options and preventing them from exploring meaningful activities? 
• Vets, owners, and breeders should act in the best interest of equine athletes. What does that look like to you in the context of the article? 
• Would you recommend a complete ban of gene editing (either for therapeutic or enhancement purposes), a blanket permission, or a compromise of the two? What are the ethical grounds for your decision and how would you enforce it?

As always, here are a few action items before next class. 

1. Check the presentation schedule and prepare your presentation if you are scheduled to present. 
2. Go to the library website, find the article for Wednesday's class, and read it.  The full APA reference information you need to find the article is located in the syllabus, as is the calendar so you know what article is assigned for Wednesday. 
3. Turn in your 3-2-1 assignment #2 on blackboard before class. 
4. Come to class (or zoom as assigned) prepared to discuss the assigned article and your 3-2-1 assignment in case you get randomly selected to talk about it. 

If you have been exposed to COVID please do not forget you can join us on zoom too, even if you are scheduled to come to class. The zoom link is in the content tab on blackboard. Stay safe and healthy! See you next class. <><

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Campbell, M. H., & McNamee, M. J. (2020). Ethics, Genetic Technologies and Equine Sports: The Prospect of Regulation of a Modified Therapeutic Use Exemption Policy. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 1-24.

Philosophy & ethics WeNo 8/26

Philosophy & Ethics

Wednesday Notes (WeNo) - 8/26/20

What a pleasure it was to meet all my new Sport Philosophers! That's what I call all my students in the PE 4843 Sport Philosophy & Ethics of Sport and Exercise. I cannot wait for all the pondering, reflecting, and debating we will do.  Technology issues aside, it was a great class! I loved meeting all of you. Remember, Friday class will be virtual as per A-States social distancing protocol guidelines; so I will see you on zoom! Here are a couple of resources before we met again. 

1. The full version of the syllabus
2. The course overview video
3. The assignments overview video
4. The presentation schedule

Course overview video

Assignments overview video

Action items: 

• Check the presentation schedule link above to find out when you present and start preparing your presentation. Especially if you are presenting this upcoming class. 
• Everyone must find the assigned article in the library and read it. 
• Everyone must turn in a 3-2-1 assignment on Blackboard before class
• Don't forget you can be randomly selected to talk to the class about your 3-2-1 assignment. 

Stay safe and healthy! See you next class <><