Tag: Shawn E. Klein

The Journal of the Philosophy of Sport provides a forum for discussion of philosophical issues – metaphysical, ethical, epistemological, aesthetic, or otherwise – arising in sport, games, play, dance, embodiment, and other motor-related activities. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: The puzzle of sports fandom by Peter Kung & Shawn E. Klein (open access).

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on every aspect of our social, cultural, and commercial lives, including the world of sport. Philosophy, Sport, and the Pandemic, edited by Jeffrey P. Fry and Andrew Edgar (Routledge), examines the ethical and philosophical dimensions of the intersection of COVID-19 and sport. Shawn Klein finds some really good contributions, but also chapters that are repetitive, or not sufficiently philosophical, or where the Covid relevance is tenuous. Recommendable, thus, but with qualifications.

William J. Morgan is a Professor Emeritus at USC and a much-published and awarded scholar within the philosophy of sport. His previous book in this field was Why Sports Morally Matter (2006). His new book is called Sport and Moral Conflict: A Conventionalist Theory (Temple University Press). Shawn Klein, likewise a sport philosophy scholar, learned much from reading the book, albeit disagreeing with important aspects of Morgan’s argument.

Some would say that modern sports are in dire need of ethical leadership, a paucity possibly remedied by scholarship. Shawn E. Klein finds that Sport, Ethics and Leadership by Jack Bowen, Ronald S. Katz, Jeffrey R. Mitchell, Donald J. Polden & Richard Walden (Routledge) may go some way towards achieving this; however, a more philosophical approach to sport ethics is required.

The anthology Defining Sport: Conceptions and Borderlines is the first title in a new series from Lexington Books, Studies in Philosopy of Sport. The series editor is Shawn E. Klein, and Dr. Klein is also the editor of this interesting anthology, which is reviewed here by Anne Tjønndal.