Fourth Annual Sport Studies Symposium: Sport Studies: The State of the Art

Rockford University is hosting the Fourth Annual Sport Studies Symposium on Friday, April 24, 2015 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm (CT) in Severson Auditorium, Scarborough Hall, Rockford University, Rockford, IL.

The conference is free to attend and light refreshments will be served.

Panel One: The Study of Sport

•  “Breaking Down Binaries: Considering the Possibilities of a Dialogue Between Science Studies and Play Studies” – Matthew Adamson (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) 
•  “The Long, Slow, Tortured Death of Sport Studies in American Colleges (And the Possible Path Toward Resurrection)” – Stephen D. Mosher, Ph.D. (Ithaca College) 
•  “Conceptualizing the Nature of Sport” – Synthia Sydnor, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Panel Two: Sport Studies as Interdisciplinary

•  “Interpreting Interpretivism: A Legal Realist Account of Cheating in Sport” -Aaron Harper, Ph.D. (West Liberty University) 
•  “Then and Now:  Sport and Spectacle in Ancient Greece and Rome” – Stephanie Quinn, Ph.D. (Rockford University) 
•  “'Theology of Sport: Mapping the Field” – Zach Smith (United States Sports Academy)

Symposium Flyer (PDF)

Emily Ryall on Philosophy of Sport

The University of Gloucestershire Religion, Philosophy, and Ethics website has several short videos about the Philosophy of Sport with fellow Philosophy of Sport blogger Dr. Emily Ryall. Dr. Ryall is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Gloucestershire.

• What is the Philosophy of Sport? A short video interview
• Should we regard Elite Athletes as Heroes?
• Is Sport a form of Art? A video interview with Dr Emily Ryall.
• Sport as form of moral education. Can Sport make us Good?

The videos are good introductions to some interesting questions and important issues in Philosophy of Sport.

And another book... The Bloomsbury Companion to the Philosophy of Sport

Introduction, Cesar R. Torres

Part I: History and Development

• A History of Philosophic Ideas about Sport, David Lunt and Mark Dyreson

Part II: Research Methodology

• The Philosophy of Sport and Analytic Philosophy, Scott Kretchmar
• The Philosophy of Sport and Continental Philosophy, Vegard Fusche Moe
• The Philosophy of Sport, Eastern Philosophy and Pragmatism, Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza, Koyo Fukasawa and Mizuho Takemura

Part III: Current Research and Key Issues

• Theories of Sport, Robert L. Simon
• Fairness and Justice in Sport, Sigmund Loland
• The Ethics of Enhancing Performance, Sarah Teetzel
• Disability and Sport, Carwyn Jones
• Sport, Risk and Danger, Leslie A. Howe
• Sport and the Environment–Ecosophical and Metanoetical Intersections, Ron Welters
• The Aesthetics of Sport, Stephen Mumford
• Sporting Knowledge, Gunnar Breivik
• Sport and Ideology, Lamartine P. DaCosta
• Competitive Sport, Moral Development and Peace, J. S. Russell
• Sport, Spirituality and Religion,Simon Robinson
• Sport and Violence, Danny Rosenberg

Part IV: Future Developments

• Sport and Technological Development, Alun Hardman
• Conceivable Horizons of Equality in Sport, Pam R. Sailors
• ‘Spoiled Sports’: Markets and the Corruption of Sport,William J. Morgan
• Sport Philosophy around the World, Peter M. Hopsicker and IvoJirásek

Part V: Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts

Part VI: Resources and Careers

• Resource Guide, Emily Ryall
• Careers, Charlene Weaving

Part VII: The Literature

• The Sport Philosophy Literature: Foundations, Evolutions and Annotations, Tim Elcombe, Douglas Hochstetler and Douglas W. McLaughlin

Sport and Artificial Intelligence

Some UK viewers might have seen the recent BBC Horizon programme on Artificial Intelligence which was a remarkable account of the current abilities of cutting edge computers. However, despite computers having surpassed human ability in many areas (memory, calculations, even general knowledge of trivia) they struggle in many areas where humans excel including the ability to learn new skills - particularly that of kinaesthetic skill development. The programme's presenter, Marcus Du Sautoy, demonstrated how he was able to learn the new skill of balancing across a tightrope with an ease which a machine would find nigh on impossible if they had a body equivalent to ours. This thought led me to a quick online search which produced the 2012 robot football cup which shows you how far machines have to go with being as graceful and skillful as a human player. Nevertheless, even if machines were developed to play football with the same skill as a human, the question remains whether they would have any interest in doing so - what would they need in order to hold the lusory attitude that is so vital in sport?

The Sex Test

For those of you in the UK who can access BBC iplayer, there is a really interesting programme on sex ('gender') tests in sport. Definitely worth a listen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0132l7q/The_Sex_Test/

Viewpoint: Is professionalism bad for sport?

Readers might be interested in this opinion piece from the BBC on professionalism in sport: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14462759