The Philosophy Of Sport Heather Reid Analysis

Throughout chapters ten and eleven of Introduction to the Philosophy of Sport, Heather L. Reid addresses the many issues that arise between the relationship between virtues and sports. In particular, Reid states, “It is characteristic of sport that we want to know not just who won but also whether they deserved to win” (Reid, 140). The emphasis on the “deserving” to win closely ties with ethics, assuming that only virtuous people “deserve” to win. What grabbed my attention even more was Reid’s next statement regarding immoral actions that occur outside of the arena of sport: “The detection and punishment of cheaters is (at least presented as) a priority, and even immoral actions that have nothing to do with sport can tarnish an athlete’s image and detract from his or her results” (Reid, 140). I agree with Reid’s proposal that an athlete’s reputation can easily be affected by actions irrelevant to his or his sport. In the following paragraphs, I will outline my argument for agreeing with Reid.

I claim that an athlete is in fact the same person throughout the many aspects of his or her life. Therefore, an athlete’s image can become tarnished after committing immoral actions outside of