Introduction

Sport raises many kinds of philosophical issues. Some of the most important kinds of philosophical issues that arise in sport are ethical or moral ones. Other ethical issues in sport involve the assessment of rules or policies. At a more abstract level other ethical issues concern the values central to competitive sport itself. This book focuses on the ethically evaluating principles that many people associate with sport and employing that analysis to examine specific issues. It also focuses on the nature of principles and values that should apply to sport. Perhaps only a few people think of sports as activities that raise serious moral issues. Ethical relativism is the view that each culture's moral code is right for that culture. Applied to sport, such ethical relativism might assert that one ought to follow the values of their own sports communities. The book considers moral issues in sport rationally.