โ Scribed by Austin, Michael W;Geivett, R Douglas(Contributor)
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Over the past forty years, football has surpassed baseball as America's favorite game. The game has become an institution of our national culture: the Super Bowl is regarded as an unofficial national holiday, and our annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations would be incomplete without it. The sport brings in massive amounts of revenue to high schools and both public and private universities as spectators enjoy a unique and celebratory social scene. Professional football teams across the country cultivate and foster a sense of community in urban areas. Surely a game this influential, with its hallowed traditions, treasured festivities, and clearly defined cultural presence, resonates far beyond recreational importance. Football and Philosophy: Going Deep, edited by Michael W. Austin, reveals how a sport followed by millions reflects our deeper values, beliefs, and priorities. Austin and other contributing writers bring unique perspectives to this thought-provoking collection of essays. Divided into "four quarters" of reflective writing, the book covers many topics frequently debated by football fans. Sharon Ryan asks "What's So Bad about Performance Enhancing Drugs?", while the book's editor argues for a playoff system in college football. Daniel Collins-Cavanaugh ponders whether the salary cap makes the NFL a fairer league, and Joshua Smith offers his own review of the instant replay. Football and Philosophy also forays into some time honored issues as it considers the philosophy of winning in light of the NFL's most legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, and contemplates the concepts of sportsmanship, virtue, friendship, and failure. While the book is unafraid to tackle serious topics, touching on ethics, religion, and the nature of reality itself, the collection is designed to be accessible for any interested reader and was written, first and foremost, for fans of the game. As Austin notes, football fans and philosophers definitely have one quality in common: they both love to argue. Football and Philosophy engages in the debates of both groups, illuminating how the fields are intertwined. So whether they love or hate the college bowl system or disagree on whether the NFL has an ego problem, readers of this book will undoubtedly find much to ponder about America's favorite game.
Front cover......Page 1
Copyright page......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Foreword......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction......Page 12
Vince Lombardi and the Philosophy of Winning......Page 16
On Fumbling the Ball......Page 29
Football and Aristotle's Philosophy of Friendship......Page 42
Inside the Helmet......Page 52
The Beauty of Football......Page 66
Virtue and Violence......Page 78
What's So Bad about Performance-Enhancing Drugs?......Page 91
The True Nature of Cheating......Page 101
"They Don't Pay Nobody to be Humble!"......Page 112
Crowning a True Champion......Page 128
Heroes of the Coliseum......Page 139
A True MVP......Page 152
Upon Further Review......Page 165
Does the Salary Cap Make the NFL A Fairer League?......Page 176
Is the Gridiron Holy Ground?......Page 194
Touchdowns, Time, and Truth......Page 207
Feel the Big Mo'......Page 220
Contributors......Page 230
Index......Page 234
Philosophy;Sports
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
There were two terrific essays in this book: one about the college playoff system and one about the effect of the NFL salary cap on competition. The rest of the essays were nothing special.
<P>Over the past forty years, football has surpassed baseball as America's favorite game. The game has become an institution of our national culture: the Super Bowl is regarded as an unofficial national holiday, and our annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations would be incomplete without it. The sport b
<P>Over the past forty years, football has surpassed baseball as America's favorite game. The game has become an institution of our national culture: the Super Bowl is regarded as an unofficial national holiday, and our annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations would be incomplete without it. The sport b
<P>Over the past forty years, football has surpassed baseball as America's favorite game. The game has become an institution of our national culture: the Super Bowl is regarded as an unofficial national holiday, and our annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations would be incomplete without it. The sport b
<P>Over the past forty years, football has surpassed baseball as America's favorite game. The game has become an institution of our national culture: the Super Bowl is regarded as an unofficial national holiday, and our annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations would be incomplete without it. The sport b
<p><span>Over the past forty years, football has surpassed baseball as America's favorite game. The game has become an institution of our national culture: the Super Bowl is regarded as an unofficial national holiday, and our annual Thanksgiving Day celebrations would be incomplete without it. The s