Philosophy and Sports 2nd Midterm

Under what conditions does Julian Savulescu think we should allow the use of PEDS in sports?

on the condition that they are safe 

what are the main reasons why Savulescu thinks allow PEDS would improve sports?

1. thinks PED totally align with the spirit of sports - they may push us beyond the limits of what the human body can do, but he sees that as great - pushing beyond the limits that are natural

2. reduces cheating in sports, making them more credible

3. Makes sports safer and more fair

how might Savulescu argue that the events depicted in the film lcarus support his position?

Savulescu argues how naive it is to think that as technology develops that we’ll be better at catching cheaters

1. what is J.S. Mill’s “harm principle,” and why, if we accept it, 2. does Robert Simon think it becomes so difficult to make a case against PED usage in sports?

1. The only time when we should prevent somebody from doing something that they want to do is if that behavior can cause harm to others.

2. its hard to make a case that is consistent with the harmful PED use that isn’t also a case against something like adopting a more intesive training regimen and no one thinks we can make a case against the 2nd one. 

How does Simon nevertheless think that we can make a case against PED usage that is consistent with accepting Mill’s harm principle?

even if their safe we should still ban them bc PEDs can turn sports into something that is less valuable than they already are - a contest between bodies rather than a contest between people with characters  

how do Savulescu and Simon disagree on what constitutes the basic “spirit of sport”?

For Simon, the spirit of sport is bound up with the characters of the people competing. For Savulescu is more of what are the creative ways you can have to perform at ones peak ’s peak - how can we unleash human creativity and human technology to enhance sport to the best we can. 

According to Myles Brand, what is the “standard view” of college sports, and how does it differ from the “integrated view” he puts forward?

the “standard view” of sports is that sports is a fundamental extracurricular activity. 

the “integrated view” is that sports are to be integral to the curriculum itself

Brand thinks that people should be thinking about sports in a way thats much more integrated - sports can and ot to be an integral part of the universities doing, in that sense not be extracurricular but being linked into the curriculum itself 

1. what reasons does Brand give in favor of the integrated view?

2. what explains (in his view) why university faculty, administrators, and athletic directors tend to resist this view?

1. He thinks the university should be educating the whole person (educating the mind and body), not just extracurricular, similar kinds of knowledge development, Comparison to performing arts (Theatre and dance don't need to be self-sufficient)

2. Faculty often see sports as a distraction from intellectual work or as purely commercial entertainment, while athletic departments may focus too much on winning and revenue rather than education. This

what implications does Brand think the integrated view has for the structure and budgeting of college athletics

The integrated view says that since athletics are a core part of the university, the budget should be mixed in with everything else. They cannot support themselves financially

1. How can universities comply with Title IX?

2. How does the “three-prong” test work?

3. And how does the text of Title IX itself compare with its interpretation by the executive branch?

1. by hitting any 1 of those 3 prongs

2. Proportional ratio of male to female athletes = gen population, History and practice of expansion - adding more women's sports or recruiting more women, Effective accommodation - meeting the needs to needs of the underrepresented sex, which is usually women

3. The executive branch issued this three-prong tests of what it thinks Title IX is trying to do. They are tasked with actually applying Title IX and knowing when someone is being discriminated against  

1. What was the basis of Lisa Niblock’s Title IX claim against UKentucky? How did UKentucky defend itself in court?

Kentucky did a survey for a women's lacrosse team, but the school argued that they didn’t have enough people to compete at that top level.

Only 1 student actually had the athletic ability to play the sport at a d1 level

Why was UIowa vulnerable to Title IX lawsuits when it decided to cut some women’s sports (a decision it eventually reverserved)

• Iowa cut the women's swim and dive team, which worsened the proportionality

• No longer are effectively accommodating the underrepresented athletes

• Iowa lost and had to reinstate the swim team, and also added a women's wrestling team

Bernard Suits idea on play, games, and sport

play is the broad idea of having fun, games are structured play with rules, and sports are physical games played seriously or competitively.

Jane English view

sports should be about mutual challenge and shared enjoyment, not just about winning or domination. She believed that competition can be healthy when it’s about testing each other’s skills and improving together, but it becomes harmful when it turns into trying to crush or humiliate opponents.

Andie Taylors view

sports should be more inclusive and accepting of transgender athletes. She argues that trans athletes deserve the same respect and opportunities as everyone else, and that sports can be a place for belonging and personal growth, not exclusion.

How does finns pov compare to dixons

dixon believes sports are mainly for finding out who is the best in a fair way. finn believes sports are more about creating meaning and excitement for the players and fans