Customer Reviews

Coaching for Character: Reclaiming the Principles of Sportsmanship

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This book is written by two philosophy professors who also have some experience in sport (one in archery, the other in baseball). Their philosophy bias is clear throughout the book, as they take time to define the term "sportsmanship," and explain why it has value in terms of respecting teammates, officials, coaches, and the game itself. The book does raise some relevant and specific questions, (for example: "Is it ever acceptable to give less than a best effort to conserve energy?" and "Explain the difference between respecting an opponent and liking an opponent.") mostly in the "time for reflection" portions that are interspersed throughout the book, but it falls short in that its arguments are very much idea-based and conceptual rather than suggestions for practical application. The appendix does provide some practical advice, but it is included almost as an afterthought rather than a priority. The book does well to provoke thought and provide the "why," but the "how" is left almost completely to the reader. It is for this reason that I think the book would have been better had it been titled "A Philosophy of Sportsmanship" or something to that effect.

Randolph Feezell and Craig Clifford apply some of the key ideas from both classical moral philosophy and contemporary philosophy of sport to the role of the coach. Sport is serious, as competition is a serious thing insofar as it can be understood as a mutual quest for excellence. However, sport is also play, and so a balance must be sought between the extremes of "It's only a game" and "Winning is all that matters". Perhaps we need a similar balanced approach to our lives that incorporates play and the serious pursuit of human excellence. A particularly interesting thought comes from the book's final chapter, "Beyond Sport":

That play feels so natural to us might well come from deeper sources in us than we realize. Play, then, far from being an escape from reality may be an expression of it.

The central idea of the book is the moral notion of respect. The authors discuss respect for opponents, for the game, teammates and team, officials, and between player and coach. I particularly like the point that even though respect is less valued in many realms of life, including sport at a variety of levels from little league through the professional level, today's kids can learn it. Coaches, parents, and others need to teach it, model it, and help young athletes practice it. This is a challenging thought as I prepare to coach my youngest daughter's soccer team again, and hope to provide a sound example of respect and sportsmanship.