Toward a Political Philosophy of Sport

Amid the crises sparked by several high-profile sporting political scandals in the early 2000s—such as FIFA’s corruption case, the NFL’s Deflategate, and Russia’s state-sponsored doping program—sport philosopher Lev Kreft, in “The Governance of Sport,” proposed the development of a sub-discipline within sport philosophy—i.e., the political philosophy of sport—that would focus on governance and ethical challenges in sporting institutions, examining how to prevent corruption and maintain ethical practices. This proposal resonates with the work of sport ethicist William J. Morgan, who, in his 1994 book Leftist Theories of Sport, lamented the lack of political philosophical frameworks to study how sporting practices influence social identities and national character.

Despite these foundational insights, no systematic effort has been made to develop this subfield fully. While some sport philosophers, such as Mike McNamee and Cem Abanazir, have used applied ethics and political philosophy concepts and theories respectively to address issues of sport integrity, a properly structured approach remains absent within the philosophy of sport. This workshop aims to fill this gap. We cordially invite academic submissions for a two-day workshop that aspires to advance philosophical discourse toward developing a political philosophy of sport.

Potential topics include (but are not limited to):

• What do Platonic, Aristotelian, and Thomistic traditions offer to political analyses of sport?
• What insights can seventeenth-century political philosophy provide for contemporary sport philosophers?
• How do Rawlsian and libertarian theories of justice apply to sport?
• Could deliberative democracy be effectively realized within sport governance?
• In what ways can sport advance human development as understood by Sen and Nussbaum?
• What responsibilities should sport institutions have?
• In what ways are sport governing bodies political in nature?
• What grants legitimacy, autonomy, and authority to sport governing bodies?
• How does sport shed light on the conflict between personal autonomy and state control?
• Does sport contribute to civic virtue, social identity, and citizenship?
• Can sport serve as a means to challenge injustice and promote multicultural ideals?
• How might sport engage with questions of global justice and processes of decolonization?

Prospective presenters are invited to submit an extended abstract by June 30, 2025, to [email protected].

The organizers will provide a limited number of stipends (~$400) to help defray travel and lodging costs associated with the workshop. Selected papers will be considered for publication in a special issue of Sport, Ethics and Philosophy.