Sport, Values, and Character

Abstract

Abstract This chapter defines and discusses values in and of sports and the potential in and of sport in developing moral character. It distinguishes between internal values in terms of experiential qualities in sporting practice and external values toward which sport is used as a means. Another distinction runs between moral and nonmoral values, and the chapter concentrates on the former. With examples from the social sciences, it discusses the diversity of values in and of sport and how this diversity can be understood with reference to the social and cultural contexts in which sports take place. From the perspective of philosophy and ethics, the possibility of common value patterns in all sports and of weighing between values in rational ways is evaluated. In the last part, an overview is given of two current normative debates in sports: the use of performance-enhancing drugs and the requirements on sports for sustainable development. The chapter concludes by pointing to sport’s normative ambiguity.