Are College Sports a Sham?

Taylor Branch's article in The Atlantic Monthly argues that the NCAA denies the rights of athletes by treating them as students and not wage-earning, revenue-generating employees. Here is Frank DeFord's commentary. Is this the beginning of the end of the NCAA?

Sport for the Common Good

Life After the NFL

From cnn.com:

During the NFL lockout this year, some startling numbers came to light as many players were forced to consider what their lives would be like without football.
• The average NFL career is 3.52 seasons;
• The average age of retired NFL players is 28;
• Within five years of leaving the league, 75% of NFL players end up broke, divorced or unemployed;
• 65% of NFL players leave the game with permanent injuries;
• At least 20% of players reading this are clinically depressed;
• The average life expectancy for retired NFL players is 53-59 years.

Fantasy Football

I've got a post over at Ethics for Everyone that may be of interest to readers of this blog:


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethics-everyone/201109/whats-wrong-fantasy-football

Philosophy and the Sports Fan

Call for Abstracts: The Society for the Study of Philosophy and the Martial Arts

The Society for the Study of Philosophy and the Martial Arts is seeking abstracts for papers to be given at our next meeting on the Group Program of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association to be held in Seattle, April 4-7 2012.  Topics on any philosophical inquiry related to the martial arts are welcome.  Past topics include Nonviolence and Martial Arts, Women and Self Defense, the Concept of Ki, Martial Virtue, What Is a Martial Art, and many more.  Please send abstracts, inquiries about the Society to Joseph Lynch

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/